COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departments: Marketing

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors underlay her decision to change the branding of her Department from DCLG to Communities and Local Government; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The legal name of the Department remains the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	In order to emphasise the mission of the Department, we use the term Communities and Local Government to refer to the Department wherever possible.

Departments: Marketing

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the meetings that she or her Ministerial colleagues attended where the re-branding of her Department from DCLG to Communities and Local Government was discussed.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer today (138727). The Department was not re-branded from DCLG, so there have been no such meetings.

Housing

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her estimate is of  (a) the number of people who have participated in and  (b) the level of public expenditure on Government initiatives to increase home ownership in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) region;
	(2)  what her estimate is of the number of people in each region who will participate in Government initiatives to increase home ownership in future years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows completions and expenditure through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) and Local Authority Social Housing Grant on low cost home ownership programmes. This investment reflects the overall public expenditure levels established by the previous administration and set for 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and the priority first given to tackling the backlog of £19 billion in council housing investment to provide decent homes. From 2004, investment decisions have reflected the priorities set by the regional housing boards for investment in their areas and since 2006-07, the Government's priority of providing more social rented homes.
	
		
			   Completions  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 1997-98 11,684 172 
			 1998-99 8,874 125 
			 1999-2000 5,112 94 
			 2000-01 4,775 117 
			 2001-02 4,352 118 
			 2002-03 4,487 161 
			 2003-04 6,912 343 
			 2004-05(1) 11,409 459 
			 2005-06 16,534 544 
			 (1) Completion figures do not include VPG. 
		
	
	For the two years, 2006-07 and 2007-08, we plan to assist some 35,000 households into low cost home ownership through the Housing Corporation's AHP.
	We have a target to assist 120,000 people into home ownership by 2010 and the homes being provided by the Housing Corporation will contribute to this. The number of homes to be provided from 2008-09 will be the subject of the comprehensive spending review 2007.
	A table has been placed in the Library of the House displaying information on the homes provided for low cost home ownership and expenditure on these programmes from 1997-98 to 2005-06 through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) and Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG) by local authority and region.
	Neither table includes spend or completions through Starter Home Initiative, Thames Gateway or Right to Acquire figures. Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.

Housing: London

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many permanent dwellings were completed by registered social landlords in  (a) Camden and  (b) London in each year since 1990-91;
	(2)  how many permanent dwellings were completed by councils in  (a) Camden and  (b) London in each year since 1990-91.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 23 February 2007
	 The numbers of additional homes provided by local authorities and registered social landlords in Camden and Greater London in each year since 1991-92 are tabulated as follows. Information for the financial year 1990-91 is not available. Homes provided through new build as well as acquisitions have been included. Figures are as reported by local authorities and the Housing Corporation.
	
		
			  Affordable housing provision in Camden and Greater London: 1991-92 to 2005-06 
			   1991-92  1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99 
			  Local authority house building completions 
			 Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London 580 169 146 223 45 23 52 35 
			  
			  Additional( 1)  social rent homes: Registered social landlords 
			 Camden 168 373 524 611 471 436 284 183 
			 London 3,745 11,767 9,914 10,852 12,785 9,247 7,310 6,952 
			  
			  Additional( 1)  intermediate homes( 2) : Registered social landlords 
			 Camden 59 81 128 82 152 137 112 96 
			 London 1,601 3,023 4,162 4,971 4,318 3,598 3,142 2,796 
			  
			  Affordable housing provision( 1)  (total) 
			 Camden 227 454 652 693 623 573 396 279 
			 London 5,926 14,959 14,222 16,046 17,148 12,868 10,504 9,783 
		
	
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2 001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Local authority house building completions
			 Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London 0 79 27 71 12 0 4 
			 
			  Additional( 1)  social rent homes: Registered social landlords
			 Camden 323 158 164 126 81 188 72 
			 London 5,846 5,858 6,279 5,163 5,045 4,876 5,123 
			 
			  Additional( 1 ) intermediate homes( 2) : Registered social landlords
			 Camden 19 25 34 103 253 149 242 
			 London 1,793 1,755 1,479 3,003 6,018 4,600 6,113 
			 
			  Affordable housing provision( 1 ) (total)
			 Camden 342 183 198 229 334 337 314 
			 London 7,639 7,692 7,785 8,237 11,075 9,476 11,240 
			 (1) Includes both new builds and acquisitions (2) Intermediate housing includes both low cost homes ownership schemes and homes provided for intermediate rent.  Source: Housing Corporation, statistical returns from local authorities.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role she has played in local government reorganisation being undertaken by her Department.

Phil Woolas: The Secretary of State issued on 26 October 2006 an invitation to local authorities to submit proposals for unitary structures. The Secretary of State assessed proposals received against the five criteria set out in the invitation. On 27 March I announced that the Secretary of State had judged that 16 proposals should go forward for stakeholder consultation.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK service personnel are  (a) deployed and  (b) stationed at each location overseas.

Adam Ingram: The following table shows the number of personnel deployed on operations by operation and location at 30 April 2007.
	
		
			  Number of personnel deployed by operation and location 
			  Operation  Number 
			 Total 15,010 
			  O f which:  
			 Telic 7,260 
			  O f which:  
			 Iraq 5,710 
			 Other (including "at sea") 1,550 
			   
			 Herrick 7,100 
			  O f which:  
			 Afghanistan 7,100 
			   
			 Oculus 320 
			  O f which:  
			 Kosovo 170 
			 Bosnia 150 
			   
			 UN 300 
			  O f which:  
			 Cyprus 280 
			 Other(1) 20 
			 (1) Other UN locations have fewer than 10 personnel per country and include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia.  Note: The strength of UK regular forces posted outside the UK is available in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 6—Global Location of UK Regular Forces. The most recent publication show the numbers of service personnel at 1 October 2006. Copies of TSP 6 are held in the House of Commons Library and are also available at: www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp6/tsp6-oct06.pdf. 
		
	
	Due to the introduction of a new personnel administration system (JPA), TSP6 RAF location data for 1 April 2006 are provisional and subject to review, and after 1 April 2006 are not currently available. TSP6 Naval service location data are not currently available after 1 October 2006.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-service personnel pensioners who served in the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force do not receive a full armed service pension.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Greater London

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an estimate has been made of the value of the property occupied by the general officer commanding London district.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 May 2007,  Official Report, column 989W.

Departments: Money

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1463W, on Departments: money, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of notes and coins lost each year.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 22 May 2007
	Guidance on the safeguarding of cash is set out in Joint Service Publications 462 (Financial Management Policy Manual) and 501 (Imprest Accounting and Banking Policy Manual). The guidance is routinely updated, as necessary, to reflect any lessons learned.
	A management action plan is also being implemented in response to the National Audit Office (NAO) report entitled "Ministry of Defence, Management of Losses and Special Payments" published in July 2006. Revised procedures include the requirement for top level budget holders to report the value of losses formally to the Finance Director on a quarterly basis. These are consolidated into departmental reports for the Defence Audit Committee.

Departments: Rates and Rating

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which budget heads in his Department's accounts  (a) council tax payments and  (b) national non-domestic rate payments can be identified in respect of Ministry of Defence property.

Derek Twigg: All service accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales is formally exempt from the payment of council tax but the Ministry of Defence pays instead a Contribution in Lieu of Council Tax (CILOCT) to local authorities. CILOCT is broadly equivalent to the amount of tax that would otherwise be due based on an assessment made by the Department on the number and type of properties it occupies. These are agreed annually with individual authorities.
	Both CILOCT and National Non-Domestic Rates are included within the 2005-06 Departmental Resource Accounts in the Operating Cost Statement as 'Other Operating Costs'. The costs are included within Note 10 under the description of 'Accommodation Charges'.

Departments: Rates and Rating

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to local authorities for  (a) council tax and  (b) national non-domestic rates in respect of (i) Erskine Barracks, Wilton, (ii) Boscombe Down Airfield, (iii) Defence Science and Technology Laboratories, Porton Down and (iv) Royal Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth in 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In financial year 2006-07 the non domestic rates paid were:
	
		
			  Site  Amount (£) 
			 Erskine Barracks, Wilton 197,015 
			 Boscombe Down Airfield 1,136,625 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratories, Porton Down 567,230 
			 Royal Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth 2,622,245 
		
	
	All Service accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales is formally exempt from the council tax regime and the Ministry of Defence instead pays a contribution in lieu of council tax (CILOCT) to local authorities, broadly equivalent to the amount of tax that would otherwise be due. In financial year 2006-07, MOD paid some £2 million in CILOCT to Salisbury district council, which covers the sites at Erskine Barracks, Boscombe Down Airfield and Porton Down and some £700,000 to Portsmouth city council, which covers the Royal Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth. These payments cover both service families accommodation and single living accommodation.
	I will write to the hon. Member with a further breakdown of payments made in relation to the specific sites requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Military Bases: Industrial Health and Safety

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the most recent defence estate health and safety inspection in the Library.

Derek Twigg: I understand that the hon. Member is referring to health and safety information published by the former Defence Housing Executive (DHE). The last health and safety information prepared by DHE was reported in the DHE agency annual report and accounts 2003-04, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	DHE formally ceased to be a Defence agency on 1 April 2004 and was merged with Defence Estates (DE) from that date. DE's subsequent annual report and accounts have provided details of the governance procedures in DE for safety, health, environment and fire. The last such report covered 2005-06 and a copy is available in the Library of the House.
	In managing the provision of Service Families Accommodation (SFA), DE is responsible for ensuring that a range of SFA safety inspections are carried out. These include gas safety inspections, inspection and testing of electrical installations, and inspections in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations. Such inspections are carried out by the housing prime contractor, Modern Housing Solutions (MHS).
	DE's annual report and accounts for 2006-07 are being prepared. Once completed, I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

NATO: Uniforms

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the wearing of the NATO logo on armed forces uniforms.

Derek Twigg: It is usual multinational practice for troops under NATO command to wear the NATO logo. This is to ensure that they are easily recognised as being members of NATO forces.

University Officer Training Corps

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the strength is of the University Officer Training Corps; how many applicants were turned down for the current academic year because there were no vacancies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will increase the strength of the University Officer Training Corps by  (a) expanding existing units and  (b) creating new units; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The current overall strength of the University Officer Training Corps is approximately 5,030 (including the instructional staff). The actual strength of the student body is currently approximately 4,430(1). Demand can exceed capacity and a selection process is adopted similar to that which governs Officer Selection at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Candidates can fail to gain entry for a number of reasons, not just because of capacity constraints. A list of reasons given for non-selection of individuals is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	There are currently no plans to increase the strength of the University Officer Training Corps by either expanding existing units or creating new ones. A contingent can only be formed when specifically requested by a university. There have been no formal requests for a new contingent by a university since the year 2000.
	(1) In accordance with departmental policy, figures have been rounded.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Charities Advisory Trust: Finance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Charities Advisory Trust has received from the public purse since it was set up; and for what purpose funding was provided.

Edward Miliband: I understand the Charities Advisory Trust received funding from the Home Office when it was established in 1979. There are no current records of recent funding for the Charities Advisory Trust.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by her Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald), the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) and the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1631W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: North East Region

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in  (a) the North East and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland undertook apprenticeships in each of the last two years; and what percentage went on to find employment in the field of their apprenticeship.

Phil Hope: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) derive from the Individual Learner Record (ILR). The table shows the number of learners on Advanced Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships in the North East and in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship  Total 
			  2004-05
			 North East 10,430 19,150 29,590 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 480 800 1,280 
			 
			  2005-06
			 North East 10,450 18,510 28,960 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 440 730 1,180 
		
	
	The ILR does not collect information about the field of employment learners go into on completion of their apprenticeships although because the vast majority of apprentices are employed during their training it is probable that most will stay in the same field of employment on completion of their training.

Babies: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many babies were abandoned by their parents in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not collected by the Department for Education and Skills.

Carers: Education

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to support carers while they are engaged in learning activities; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Statutory responsibility for supporting carers under the age of 18 who have been assessed as children in need lies with the local authorities concerned, and my Department issued guidance with the Department of Health in August 2005 on the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 and the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004. The latter Act requires authorities, in making an assessment, to take into account the carer's wishes to undertake education, training, work, or a leisure activity.
	The Department's guidance to administrators of the discretionary Access to Learning Fund covers students with caring responsibilities, although this is chiefly designed with adult carers in mind. Young carers in full-time education—that is, with at least 12 guided learning hours per week—may be eligible for Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs). Although in general a weekly allowance payment is only made to a student where they have attended all required sessions, a school or college has discretion to authorise an absence caused by caring responsibilities. Learning providers should not, however, authorise a student's absences regularly for this reason.
	Carers aged over 16 who provide at least 35 hours of care a week may be entitled to Carers Allowance, where they are undertaking less than 21 hours a week of supervised study, and institutions will need to take this into account when considering appropriate arrangements for enabling carers to access learning.

Children in Care

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will include in the White Paper following Care Matters proposals for regulatory change to enable young people to stay in care longer; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The forthcoming White Paper on children in care will set out the Government's proposals for delivery across services for children in care. It will follow on from the proposals published in the Care Matters Green Paper last year and will include information about how we intend to support young people so that they only move from their care placement with proper preparation when they feel ready to leave. In general, this will mean that we would expect young people to remain longer with their carers.

Children in Care: Custodial Treatment

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in the care of a local authority received  (a) a custodial and  (b) a non-custodial sentence in 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: At present, this information is not collected centrally; data on the number of children who ceased to be looked after because they have been sentenced to custody will be available from autumn 2007.

Children: Abuse

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the number of children experiencing physical abuse and neglect.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government are committed to improving safeguards for children. We have introduced new legislation, new guidance, new structures and new policy initiatives to make children safer and to ensure that there is a proper focus on children at the very heart of Government.
	To reduce the amount of abuse and neglect we need safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children to be clearly everyone's responsibility—to be fundamental duties for everyone who has regular contact with children. Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a statutory duty on all key agencies (including prisons, the police, and health bodies) to make arrangements for ensuring that their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It mirrors a requirement on education institutions in the Education Act 2002. We published updated guidance on the section 11 duty earlier this year.
	Last year we set out clear guidance for the rest of the safeguarding framework with the publication of "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education", the new version of "Working Together To Safeguard Children", which is the core guidance to help all agencies act effectively to safeguard children, and an updated version of "What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused" which is a guide for front line staff. New Local Safeguarding Children Boards were put in place by April 2006 to co-ordinate what is done in each local area to safeguard children and to ensure that it is effective. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 will deliver the first centralised vetting and barring scheme for all those working with children and vulnerable adults.
	The Act will introduce a new system with a number of improvements over the current arrangements to make the work force safer. These improvements include: bringing together in one place for expert judgement all information relevant to vetting and barring; introducing tough penalties on employers who fail in their responsibility to carry out the necessary checks; making barring decisions when new information becomes available, and notifying employers when an employee's status changes; and making it possible for parents to check that home tutors and nannies are members of the new vetting scheme. The new scheme will apply in the same way to the volunteers and those organising the work of volunteers as it will to employees and employers.

Departments: Manpower

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how his Department determines the staffing levels and grade mix for its directorates; and what cover for contingencies and emergencies is built into its resource planning for ongoing staff reductions in the Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department's March 2008 target of 3,200 (full time equivalents) was set following Sir Peter Gershon's independent review of public sector efficiency. This recognised that the Department will be smaller but more strategic enabling it to deliver its priorities for improved outcomes for children and learners within the planned headcount. Reform programmes within each Directorate, underpinned by a project and programme management approach to delivery, allows the Department to focus its resources efficiently but flexibly.
	The Department's board maintain an awareness of issues and business priorities and are regularly provided with detailed analysis of current and anticipated labour market and work force issues. The board decides any necessary reallocation of staff resources to best meet the needs of the business and ministerial priorities.
	Cover for key staff and resource planning for incidents/emergencies are part of the business continuity planning process which is undertaken across the Department.

Departments: Market Research

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 290W, on Departments: market research, how much his Department spent on researching public opinion in each of the previous five years; and what methods his Department uses to research public opinion.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has spent a total of £527,128 on public opinion research surveys in the last five years. The research findings are available on the Department's website.
	
		
			  Financial Year  Cost (excluding VAT  )  (£) 
			 2002-03 111,500 
			 2003-04 113,840 
			 2004-05 65,521 
			 2005-06 123,736 
			 2006-07 112,531

Departments: Sovereign Strategy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Eastern Region

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people received  (a) £30,  (b) £20 and  (c) £10 in education maintenance allowance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency and (ii) the East of England in each year since the scheme began; and what percentage of all young people in the area each figure represented.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the DfES and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 15 May 2007:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 134213 that asked:
	"How many young people received  (a) £30,  (b) £20 and  (c) £10 in education maintenance allowance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency and (ii) the East of England in each year since the scheme began; and what percentage of all young people in the area each figure represented."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received education maintenance allowance (EMA) is available at local authority level, but not at constituency level EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The following tables show EMA take-up data split by payment band for Cambridgeshire local authority area and East of England during each academic year since the schemes inception.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year 
			  Band  £30  £20  £10  Total 
			 2004/05 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,203 257 277 1,737 
			 East of England 17,367 2,936 3,308 23,613 
			 2005/06 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,314 421 424 3,159 
			 East of England 28,973 4,771 4,407 38,151 
			  2006/07 to end April 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,974 474 446 3,894 
			 East of England 36,608 5,278 4,720 46,606 
		
	
	In the first year of national roll out EMA was available to all 16-years-olds across England and to 17 and 18-years-olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA, was available to all 16 and 17-year-olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA is available to all 16, 17 and 18-year-olds nationally. In calculating the percentage of young people receiving EMA only take up and population figures for age groups where EMA was available nationally have been used.
	The following table shows the percentage of young people receiving EMA in Cambridgeshire local authority area and East of England during each academic year since national roll out.
	
		
			  Percentage of population receiving EMA in each academic year 
			   2004/05 (16-year-olds only)  2005/06 (16 and 17-year-olds)  2006/07 to end January (16, 17 and 18-year-olds) 
			 Cambridgeshire 23 21 17 
			 East of England 29 26. 22 
		
	
	I hope this information is useful and addresses your question.

Foundation Degrees

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students were studying for foundation degrees in each of the last five years, broken down by course title.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 May 2007
	The latest available information is shown in the following table. Data, relating specifically to the course title of foundation degrees, are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Total number of students enrolled on foundation degrees in higher education institutions and further education colleges in England—academic years 2002/03 to 2006/07 
			   Number of students 
			 2002/03 12,310 
			 2003/04 23,945 
			 2004/05 37,820 
			 2005/06 46,780 
			 2006/07 60,925 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. 2006/07 values are provisional. Figures for earlier years have been subject to minor changes where institutions were given the opportunity to further verify and then correct any data errors found in their returns, the figures therefore differ slightly to those published previously.  Source: Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES)

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) number and  (b) proportion of pupils in mainstream maintained secondary schools achieved five A* to C GCSEs including English, mathematics, science, a modern language and either history or geography in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table and reflects the increased level of qualification choice at key stage 4.
	
		
			  15-year-old( 1)  pupils at maintained mainstream schools( 2)  who achieved five or more A*-C at GCSE including English, Mathematics, Science, a Modern Foreign Language and History or Geography( 3) 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 1997 100,099 43.8 
			 1998 102,755 44.4 
			 1999 109,306 44.8 
			 2000 109,788 43.8 
			 2001 115,362 43.5 
			 2002 112,086 40.6 
			 2003 105,829 36.1 
			 2004 108,430 35.3 
			 2005 104,139 32.6 
			 2006 97,020 28.6 
			 (1) Aged 15 at the beginning of the academic year. (2) Includes academies, community schools, voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and city technology colleges. (3) Includes pupils who achieved both grades A*-C at both Geography and History GCSE and those that gained a grade A*-C at GCSE in either Geography or History.

Higher Education: Funding

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the statement of the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning of 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 225WH, on higher education (funding), what figures he used to calculate that there is on average net £100,000 graduate earnings premium; and how he used those figures to reach that final figure.

Bill Rammell: Over the working life, the average net graduate earnings premium is comfortably over £100,000 in today's valuation, compared to what a similar individual would have earned if they just had A levels.
	The data which underpin this figure are taken from the Labour Force Survey. We estimate the effect on net additional earnings from getting a degree, after allowing for factors like gender, age, and the probability of being employed. The figures are also discounted so that they are in 'today's valuation'. Comparing the lifetime earnings profiles of otherwise similar graduates and those with A levels, we find that graduates can expect to earn, after taxation, over £100,000 more than similar non-graduates. Recent research by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated the discounted gross (i.e. pre-tax) additional lifetime earnings associated with a degree to be around £160,000.

Higher Education: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students from Hartlepool constituency were allocated a university place in each year since 1996;
	(2)  how many students from Hartlepool constituency went to  (a) each university and  (b) university in each region of the UK in the last year for which information is available.

Bill Rammell: The total numbers of undergraduate entrants to UK Higher Education Institutions from Hartlepool parliamentary constituency for each year since 1996/97 are given in the table. Figures for the 2006/07 academic year will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to undergraduate courses( 1)  from Hartlepool parliamentary constituency—UK Higher Education Institutions( 2)  academic years 1996/97 to 2005/06 
			  Academic year  Number of entrants 
			 1996/97 500 
			 1997/98 535 
			 1998/99 620 
			 1999/2000 615 
			 2000/01 770 
			 2001/02 825 
			 2002/03 960 
			 2003/04 940 
			 2004/05 940 
			 2005/06 985 
			 (1) Covers students on full-time and part-time modes of study. (2) Excludes the Open University.  Note:  Figures are on a snapshot basis as at the 1 of December for comparability and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The latest available information for the number of students from Hartlepool parliamentary constituency who went to each university in the UK split by the government office region of the institution is given in the following table, for the 2005/06 academic year.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to undergraduate courses( 1)  from Hartlepool parliamentary constituency by institution and Government Office Region of the Institution—UK Higher Education Institutions( 2)  academic year 2005/06 
			  Government Office Region / Institution  Number of entrants 
			  North East  
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle 95 
			 The University of Sunderland 145 
			 The University of Teesside 510 
			 University of Durham 20 
			 The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 30 
			 Total 800 
			   
			  North West  
			 Edge Hill University 5 
			 St. Martin's College (3)— 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 10 
			 Liverpool John Moores University (3)— 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 5 
			 The University of Lancaster 5 
			 The University of Liverpool 5 
			 The University of Salford (3)— 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts (3)— 
			 The University of Manchester 5 
			 Total 35 
			   
			  Yorkshire and the Humber  
			 York St. John University College 10 
			 Trinity and All Saints College (3)— 
			 The University of Huddersfield 10 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 25 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 5 
			 The University of Hull 10 
			 The University of Leeds 10 
			 The University of Sheffield (3)— 
			 The University of York 5 
			 Total 75 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 The University of Northampton (3)— 
			 The University of Lincoln (3)— 
			 De Montfort University 5 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 5 
			 The University of Leicester (3)— 
			 Loughborough University (3)— 
			 The University of Nottingham 5 
			 Total 15 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 University of Central England in Birmingham (3)— 
			 Coventry University (3)— 
			 The University of Wolverhampton (3)— 
			 Aston University (3)— 
			 The University of Birmingham 5 
			 The University of Warwick (3)— 
			 Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies (3)— 
			 Total 10 
			   
			  East  
			 Anglia Ruskin University 5 
			 University of Hertfordshire (3)— 
			 The University of Cambridge 5 
			 The University of Essex (3)— 
			 Total 10 
			   
			  London  
			 University of the Arts, London (3)— 
			 Rose Bruford College (3)— 
			 Kingston University (3)— 
			 London South Bank University (3)— 
			 Thames Valley University (3)— 
			 Brunei University (3)— 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (3)— 
			 The Royal Veterinary College (3)— 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (3)— 
			 London Metropolitan University (3)— 
			 Total 10 
			   
			  South East  
			 The University of Brighton (3)— 
			 Oxford Brookes University 5 
			 The University of Portsmouth 5 
			 The University of Kent (3)— 
			 The University of Oxford 5 
			 The University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury (3)— 
			 Total 10 
			   
			  South West  
			 University of Gloucestershire (3)— 
			 The University of Plymouth 5 
			 The University of Bath (3)— 
			 Total 5 
			   
			  Scotland  
			 The University of Edinburgh 5 
			 Total 5 
			   
			  Wales  
			 University of Wales, Aberystwyth (3)— 
			 Total (3)— 
			  Northern Ireland  
			 The Queen's University of Belfast (3)— 
			 Total (3)— 
			   
			 Total 985 
			 (1) Covers students on full-time and part-time modes of study. (2) Excludes the Open University. Excludes those institutions that did not have any entrants from Hartlepool parliamentary constituency. (3) Number greater than zero but less than three.  Note:  Figures are on a snapshot basis as at the 1 December for comparability and numbers are rounded to the nearest five therefore components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the participation rate in higher education is of people aged 18 to 21 in  (a) each parliamentary constituency,  (b) each local council area and (c) each electoral ward in the latest year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation in higher education by local areas were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2005 in "Young Participation in England", which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05 037. Copies have been placed in the House Library.
	This report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 for the years 1997 to 2000 by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Learning and Skills Council areas. HEFCE have not produced participation rates beyond 2000.
	The Department uses the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18-30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2005/06 is 43 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at parliamentary constituency level or local authority level.

Olympic Games: Greater London

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 344W, on the Olympic games: Greater London, how his Department plans to monitor progress towards and achievement of the targets set by construction skills to address the skills needs of the Olympic project; whether these targets will extend beyond 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The ConstructionSkills Council and CITB-ConstructionSkills' Board review performance against targets regularly, using data supplied by the Construction Skills Network. Regular meetings between CITB-ConstructionSkills and DFES at both official and ministerial level ensure that the Government is kept well-informed about progress. The achievements of key targets for London and the South East will to continue to be reported in CITB-ConstructionSkills's annual report which is laid before Parliament each spring.
	The Construction Skills Network works to a five year forecasting model and current forecasts cover up to 2012. They are, however, working with the Office for Government Commerce to develop models for London, the Greater South East and the rest of the UK that extend 10 years forward. This will help to ensure that ConstructionSkills and the Government have a better understanding of the industry's capacity in the longer term.

Part-time Education

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the fees regime on the provision of part-time courses by higher education institutions.

Bill Rammell: The effect of the new fee and student support arrangements will be considered in 2009 by an independent review in the light of the data available at that time, but we expect both the demand for and supply of part-time courses provided by higher education institutions to expand as we increase and widen participation. An increasing proportion of such courses should be co-funded by employers.

Physical Education: Further Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proposals and programmes his Department has put in place to promote physical education and healthy living in the further education sector.

Bill Rammell: FE colleges are independent institutions catering for the diverse needs of young people and adults participating in learning. Colleges have an important role in promoting physical education and healthy living. Government funding is provided for all 16 to19-year-olds in FE to support a range of extra curricula activities including sport and health promotion. We are also supporting the FE sector as it implements a number of sector led initiatives to promote healthy living and participation in sport and physical education, including for the 2012 games. With Government funding, the new sector co-ordination and communications unit will ensure that learners in FE colleges benefit from and contribute to the success of the games. In addition, a wide range of publicly funded learning programmes for learners of all ages, ranging from construction through to hospitality and tourism, delivered through FE colleges, incorporate modules relating to physical education and health promotion.

Schools: Fingerprints

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether schools have powers to collect pupils' fingerprints without the prior written consent of parents; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 8 March 2007
	Maintained schools have the power to collect pupils' personal data, including biometric data without prior written consent of parents. Under paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 1 of the Education Act 2002 the governing body of a maintained school has the legal power to do anything which appears to them to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of, or in connection with, the conduct of the school. Schools must process biometric data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. DfES guidance recommends that schools should engage fully with parents and pupils if they decide to introduce biometric technology systems.

Schools: Parents

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines his Department has issued to schools on contacting students' parents.

Parmjit Dhanda: In June 2000, the Department issued guidance to schools about who they must involve in issues about a child's education and who they must keep informed about school matters (Guidance DfES/0092/2000). It includes guidance about responding to non-resident parents who wish to be involved in their children's education.
	A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library. It is in the process of being updated and a new version should be available later this year.

Schools: Safety Measures

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance, other than that relating to the Criminal Records Bureau checking procedures, he provides on the measures schools should take to ensure that they are safe.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 May 2007
	The Department has a number of guidance documents aimed at keeping schools safe, in the sense of safeguarding pupils from abuse or neglect. We issued guidance last year to safeguard children in schools. "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education" covers safeguarding children, recruitment and selection, vetting checks, and dealing with allegations of abuse against education staff.
	Beyond this specific area of safeguarding from abuse or neglect, the Department also provides a wide range of guidance on other aspects of school, staff and pupil safety.

Sure Start Programme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many Sure Start children's centres closed in each of the last five years; and how many such centres were the subject of requests to him for additional resources without which the centre would be closed in each year;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1538-9W, on children's centres, whether he would expect to be informed in all cases of closures of Sure Start children's centres; and of how many such closures he has been informed since 28th March 2007.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has not received any reports of the closure of Sure Start children's centres since the programme began in 2003. I would expect local authorities to alert us if any centre were to be threatened with closure. This would enable Together for Children (the consortium appointed to support the delivery of children's centres) to broker a solution with local partners for the continuation of children's centre services in the area concerned.

Unemployment: Young People

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) 16-year-olds,  (b) 17-year-olds,  (c) 18-year-olds and  (d) 19-year-olds were not in employment, education or training in England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of  (a) 20-year-olds,  (b) 21-year-olds,  (c) 22-year-olds,  (d) 23-year-olds and  (e) 24-year-olds were not in employment, education or training in England in each of the last three years.

Bill Rammell: The following table gives the number and proportion of  (a) 16,  (b) 17 and  (c) 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England in each of the last three years for which figures are available. Comparable figures are not available for older ages.
	
		
			   End 2003  End 2004  End 2005 
			  (a) Age 16
			 Number 53,000 53,000 51,000 
			 Proportion (percentage) 8 8 8 
			  (b) Age 17
			 Number 49,000 61,000 73,000 
			 Proportion (percentage) 8 9 11 
			  (c) Age 18
			 Number 83,000 83,000 96,000 
			 Proportion (percentage) 13 13 14 
		
	
	Record numbers of 16-year-olds are in full-time education. But, we recognise the need to take action to reduce the proportion of young people not in any form of education, employment or training, and have set ourselves a very challenging target to get the proportion down to 8 per cent. by 2010.
	It is vital that all young people gain the essential skills and qualifications so that they are better prepared for getting on and success in life. Our 14-19 reforms will ensure there are suitable routes through the education and training system in place for every young person.
	To keep them in learning, we need to help them tackle the other issues in their lives that might cause them to leave which we are doing through our Every Child Matters reforms.

Young People: Carers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to ensure children who act as principal carers for family members have necessary support at school; what budget has been allocated for that purpose; what strategy is in place to monitor the educational outcomes of such children; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Schools are already required to promote the education and welfare of all their pupils, and they should take pupils' particular circumstances into account. The Government are clear that if a school is concerned that one of their pupils may be a "child in need", whether as a young carer or for any other reason, they should consider communicating with the child's family and with local children's services.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that the revised guidance on attendance management, "Advice and guidance to Schools and Local Authorities on Managing Behaviour and Attendance: groups of pupils at particular risk", is understood by schools and publicised by the Department. This guidance includes young carers as one of the groups that is at risk of becoming disengaged from education, and it was revised in October 2006 to reflect comments from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Young carers will be mentioned in our revised anti-bullying guidance, Safe to Learn (due to be issued later this term), as one of the categories of pupil particularly vulnerable to bullying. We also plan to ensure that schools are aware of their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA), and to draw their attention to our resource Implementing the DDA in Schools and Early Years Settings. Once this work is complete, we plan to draw the attention of teachers, schools, and local authorities to the specific application to young carers of these resources.
	There is no specific budget allocated for the support of young carers at school: head teachers and governors have discretion to allocate their resources flexibly in response to local needs. As part of their general funding, local authorities have substantial resources to fulfil their responsibilities towards children and families. They also receive the carers special grant which supports local authorities in providing breaks and services for carers.
	Schools are not required to collect data on children and young people with caring responsibilities. The Government accept that not all young carers wish to discuss what they regard as sensitive family issues with their schools.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Elections: Reviews

Jimmy Hood: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the terms of reference are for the Electoral Commission's review of the Scottish parliamentary and local government elections held on 3 May.

Peter Viggers: As I told the House during oral questions on 21 May, the Electoral Commission announced the broad scope of its review, and that it would be independently led by Mr. Ron Gould, an international specialist in electoral administration, on 14 May. The Commission announced further details, including terms of reference, on 21 May, and has informed me that a copy of this announcement has been placed in the Library. I also refer the hon. Member to the exchanges on this matter in the House on 21 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 973-75.

Electoral Commission

Adam Afriyie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission's five-year plan 2007-08 to 2011-12 is expected to be published.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan 2007-08 to 2011-12 (HC474), approved by the Speaker's Committee on 21 March, was laid before the House by the Committee on 9 May. Copies are available in the Vote Office. The Commission informs me that it has also published the plan on its website and that paper copies will be generally available shortly.

Electoral Commission

Damian Green: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what consideration the Speaker's Committee has given to the response of the Electoral Commission to the report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on the work of the Commission, Cm. 7006.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission has sent to the Speaker's Committee a copy of its published response to the recommendations of the eleventh report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The Speaker's Committee is in the process of considering its own response to the report and, in doing so, will take due account of the Commission's observations.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cattle: Registration

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of cattle in England with certificates of registration.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 21 May 2007
	According to records on the cattle tracing system, the number of live cattle in Great Britain with certificates of registration, that is cattle born before July 1996 when passports began to be issued, is 383,000.
	It has not been possible to obtain a precise figure for England only in the time available but, based on the proportion of the national herd that is resident in England, I estimate that there are just under 250,000 cattle with certificates of registration in England.

Departments: Intimidation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints of bullying have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld.

Barry Gardiner: The figures for this information relate to core DEFRA and the following agencies: PSD, CSL, VMD, CEFAS and Animal Health.
	The internal formal equal opportunities complaints procedure is on DEFRA's intranet site and all staff has access to them.
	Under the above procedures in the last 12 months, six cases of bullying were investigated and one case was upheld.

Elephants

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Africa about  (a) elephant populations and  (b) the ivory trade in preparation for the forthcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species conference.

Barry Gardiner: I met with Marthinus Van Schalkwyk the South African Minister last June and we discussed issues of elephant management among other issues. Although visa difficulties prevented officials from Kenya, Mali, Chad, Ghana, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo from meeting me last month, they did meet environment officials in the UK's permanent representation in Brussels, who passed their briefing to my Department. However, last year DEFRA officials met the Honourable Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, the Botswana Minister for Environment and Tourism, on 8 November when he was in London, to hear that country's perspective. I also met Michael Wamithi (IFAW's global elephant habitat programme manager) on 28 November 2006.
	We are in constant touch with non-governmental organisations and experts in elephant conservation to ensure we have a full and rounded picture of the issues involved. A DEFRA official will also be attending the African elephant dialogue meeting which will take place immediately before the CITES conference, the outcome of which will influence the EU/UK position on the proposals to be discussed at the Conference.

Environment Protection: Prosecutions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions resulting in  (a) convictions and  (b) custodial sentences there were in each year since 1 May 1997 for offences related to (i) water resources, (ii) flood defences, (iii) fisheries, (iv) navigation, (v) process industry regulation, (vi) radioactive substances, (vii) waste and (viii) water quality as recorded in the national enforcement database.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the number of convictions (1) and custodial sentences (2) for environmental offences recorded in the national enforcement database in each financial year from 1999-2000 to 2005-2006.
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005- 0 6 
			   1  2  1  2  1  2  1  2  1  2  1  2  1  2 
			 Fisheries 5 0 34 0 21 0 50 0 31 0 43 0 78 0 
			 Flood Defence 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 7 0 10 0 6 0 
			 Industry 11 0 10 0 5 0 5 0 3 0 5 0 1 0 
			 Regulation Navigation 5 0 4 0 8 0 26 0 34 0 31 0 32 0 
			 Radioactive Substances 4 0 5 0 8 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 
			 Waste 354 4 418 8 466 7 502 6 426 7 422 7 514 5 
			 Water Quality 237 0 224 0 219 0 0 0 176 0 192 1 216 0 
			 Water Resources 10 0 21 0 12 0 0 0 8 0 16 0 10 0

National Fruit Collection

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent maintaining the National Fruit Collection in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 16 May 2007
	Costs for maintaining the National Fruit Collection in each of the last five years are given as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 218,000 
			 2003-04 218,000 
			 2004-05 221,000 
			 2005-06 187,000 
			 2006-07 200,000

Strangles

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what funding his Department has provided for research into a diagnostic test for strangles;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to eradicate strangles in the UK;
	(3)  what research his Department has commissioned into the  (a) detection,  (b) prevention and  (c) eradication of strangles;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to promote a code of practice for farmers for dealing with cases of strangles;
	(5)  what steps his Department is taking  (a) to develop a blood test for strangles and  (b) to fund research to do so;
	(6)  what assessment his Department has made of the risk presented to animal health by strangles.

Ben Bradshaw: Strangles is not a notifiable disease or infection, there is no evidence that it has any significance for public health and it is not a listed disease by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health). There are no plans to make it notifiable or for the Department to take steps to eradicate the disease. The equine industry has the responsibility to control strangles and the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) publishes a code of practice, updated annually, containing guidelines on the disease. The code is available from the HBLB, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and the British Horse Society, and can be accessed via the DEFRA website. Both DEFRA and the industry encourage horse owners to follow the guidelines on strangles contained in the code of practice.
	DEFRA is not funding research into developing a diagnostic blood test for strangles and has no plans to do so. However, the Animal Health Trust is currently working on improving diagnostic tests for equine strangles through a three-year welfare grant awarded by The Horse Trust. The Department concentrates its resources on those equine diseases which have human health, economic or international trade implications.

Sugar Beet: EC Action

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposals to extend the sugar restructuring programme to individual sugar beet growers.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 21 May 2007
	The European Union's sugar restructuring scheme has, so far, failed to achieve its planned results and we agree with the European Commission that further action is necessary to make it more effective. The Commission's proposal to establish a limited grower initiative within the third year of the scheme is part of a wider package of measures designed to increase uptake. Discussions on the proposed package are at a very early stage but we do believe that, if adopted, this element of the package would contribute to increased overall uptake.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

African Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking to strengthen its relationship with the African Union.

Ian McCartney: The formation of the African Union (AU) in 2002 was a major development and an important break from the past with the AU committing itself to taking real responsibility for promoting peace and security; improved governance; sustainable economic development and poverty reduction. The AU's lead continental role on many issues is now established. We welcome this.
	We seek every opportunity to support the AU politically and practically. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister invited AU chairperson Konare to London in May 2006 and to the G8 Gleneagles summit. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, has attended all of the AU's six-monthly summits since his appointment in 2005. Our ambassador in Addis Ababa is accredited as the British permanent representative to the AU; the embassy spends a substantive part of its time on AU matters. The UK is providing significant support to AU operations in Sudan and Somalia, as well as to help develop the AU's internal capacity and its key instruments such as the African peace and security architecture.

Ascension Island

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has for the future of those living on Ascension Island following the conclusions of her Department's economic report of 2005.

Geoff Hoon: Government policy remains to work with the Ascension Island Government towards improving the working and living environment for those on Ascension Island. As long as the main employers remain on Ascension Island, there should continue to be employment prospects for St. Helenians and others. All those working and living on Ascension Island are required by Ascension law to leave once their contracts expire. This will continue to be the case.

Ascension Island: British Nationality

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens reside on Ascension Island.

Geoff Hoon: Although there are no permanent residents on Ascension Island, the total number of British and/or British overseas territories citizens working and living there at the end of March was 904.

Commonwealth: International Conferences

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much and what proportion of the costs of the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in Uganda in November will be met by the Government; and from which budget this contribution will be drawn.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 17 May 2007,  Official Report, column 871W.

Commonwealth: International Conferences

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of arrangements for the security of the Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in Uganda in November; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: All aspects of Her Majesty the Queen's security on visits overseas are kept under close review. We are working closely with the Ugandan authorities to ensure that all necessary measures are taken for the state visit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to assist in finding a solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian McCartney: In the short term, we continue to urge the Congolese government to seek peaceful and negotiated solutions to the internal problems which provoke violence. We support the continuation of the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (MONUC)'s mandate and encourage MONUC to take a robust stance against foreign and Congolese militia groups that threaten civilians.
	We remain concerned by the ongoing violence in eastern DRC. We continue to press the Congolese Government to make security sector reform a priority, so a disciplined and well-trained national army is developed. This is the only long-term solution to prevent further conflict.
	The DRC remains a priority for the UK. Our extensive bilateral assistance to the DRC, £75 million in the last financial year, is designed to work in support of conflict prevention, including work on security sector reform, democracy and accountability and provision of basic services to the population. I discussed this issue myself when I met William Swing, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for the DRC, on 2 March.

Economic and Monetary Union: European Constitution Treaty

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds have been spent since 2005 by British embassies to EU countries on  (a) events and  (b) organisations to support UK strategic priorities pertaining to the Government's EU policies, with particular reference to (i) the euro and (ii) the EU constitution.

Geoff Hoon: All our embassies in EU capitals are proactive in supporting the UK's strategic priorities relating to the Government's EU policies through a wide range of activity. However, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ethiopia: Kidnapping

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government received from the Eritrean authorities in obtaining the release of the kidnappees held recently in the Afar area.

Ian McCartney: Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and our ambassador in Asmara maintained active contact with the government of Eritrea during the abduction of the five officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa and family members from 2 March to 13 March.
	The government of Eritrea offered to provide whatever assistance they could in obtaining the release of our staff and their family members on humanitarian grounds. After our staff and family members were freed, the Eritrean government made arrangements to transport them to Asmara where they were handed over to our ambassador.
	The Ethiopians that were abducted at the same time were released on 22 April. It is not yet clear if the Eritrean authorities offered any assistance or were instrumental in facilitating their release.
	The Government are grateful for the assistance received from the Eritrean government, including the personal engagement of President Isaias.

European Council

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's main priorities are for the forthcoming European Council meeting in June.

Geoff Hoon: The 21-22 June European Council will focus on institutional reform. The Government's aim, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 16 April, is to secure an outcome that allows Europe to work more effectively while preserving our national interest, including our position as a key player in Europe. I set out the Government's approach to these negotiations in my written ministerial statement on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 10-11WS.
	The Government want to maintain momentum on delivering the concrete results that citizens expect. So we will also want the European Council to confirm progress on EU action on important, practical challenges, such as tackling climate change, strengthening police co-operation across Europe and improving the efficiency of the single market.

Nigeria: Overseas residence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are permanently resident and working in Nigeria.

Ian McCartney: A total of 3,007 British citizens are registered with our high commission in Abuja, including dependants and others who are not necessarily working. We strongly advise all British citizens who intend to stay in Nigeria for three months or longer to register with the high commission but not all do so, so the exact number of British residents is likely to be higher than 3,007.

Northern Cyprus

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the campaign led by the Mayor of Famagusta in Cyprus for the full re-opening and redevelopment of Famagusta; and if she will take steps to discuss this issue with the Mayor of Famagusta.

Geoff Hoon: The Mayor of Famagusta has already shared his campaign plans with senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). They emphasised the importance of a UN process leading to a comprehensive and durable settlement of benefit to all Cypriots. Our high commissioner in Nicosia is also in regular contact with the Mayor. The FCO remains open to further meetings.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives to promote multilateral disarmament the Government are proposing at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting in Vienna being held in May; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The UK statement of 30 April to the meeting of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee will be made available to the Library of the House. On multilateral disarmament, this made clear the importance of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and encouraged those countries that had not yet done so to sign and ratify the treaty. It reiterated UK support for a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty and called for a prompt start to negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. It also called on the US and Russia to make further progress on disarmament through their bilateral arms control agreements.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of security arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza.

Ian McCartney: We are concerned about the security situation in Gaza. The recent intra-Palestinian violence, which started on 13 May, has left 54 Palestinians dead. We welcome the ceasefire, which was agreed on 19 May, to end this violence. However, the on-going launching of Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel, the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and the resulting Palestinian casualties are of serious concern. As the Minister for the Middle East my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) said on 21 May in a press conference following the Israeli raids on Gaza:
	"For the sake of the people of Gaza and southern Israel, we want to see a complete halt to internal violence in Gaza and to rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. The continuing violence is creating a situation of intolerable suffering for those living in the Gaza Strip, and taking its toll on the residents of Sderot".
	We are also concerned by the movement restrictions placed upon Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has noted that access to parts of the West Bank, such as East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, have not improved due to a high number of checkpoints (537 as of April), roadblocks, the barrier and a complex system of permits. In Gaza, the regular closure of the Rafah crossing point and lack of access to the West Bank has had a detrimental effect on the population. We continue to raise our concerns about movement restrictions with the Israeli Government and call upon both parties to implement the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access.

Robert Mugabe

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking with her Commonwealth counterparts to ensure that President Mugabe is not invited to the Commonwealth Heads of Government or related events.

Ian McCartney: President Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth in 2003. We would therefore not expect him to be invited to or to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala and we are confident he will not be.

Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the situation in Eastern Sudan.

Ian McCartney: Following the signing of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Eastern Front (EF) on 14 October 2006, the region has been calm. We welcomed the ESPA, but are concerned that implementation has been slow. This is partly due to the EF's inability to agree nominations to political posts in the Government and National Assembly in Khartoum. We have urged them to complete this process quickly.
	The east remains one of the poorest parts of Sudan. Large numbers of people live in extreme poverty and socio-economic indicators, such as infant mortality, are the worst in the country. Illiteracy and unemployment levels in the region are also high. The UK supports development and stability in Eastern Sudan as part of our contribution to implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
	The UK currently chairs an informal donor co-ordination group on Eastern Sudan. This group shares information and fosters joint programming among members of the international community. The Government's own support to Eastern Sudan includes pressing the Government of Sudan for the timely transfer of funds from the central budget to the states and pilot projects such as a social protection scheme implemented in the east through Oxfam.

Uganda: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the role of the media during the 2006 Ugandan elections.

Ian McCartney: International observers monitoring the 2006 elections raised concerns that a level playing field was not established before the elections took place. One reason for this was the lack of balance in media coverage, especially on the part of the state owned media. However, there was consensus that despite some shortcomings on election day, voting was generally well administered, transparent and competitive.
	Our high commission in Kampala, along with other representatives of the international community, continues to monitor the governance environment, including media freedom, in Uganda.

Uganda: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Ugandan authorities on the administration of future presidential and parliamentary elections.

Ian McCartney: We have a regular dialogue with the government of Uganda on all aspects of developing multi-party democracy and engaging with the opposition, building towards the next elections. Our high commissioner in Kampala discussed these issues most recently with President Museveni on 10 May.
	The Government are helping the Ugandan Parliament finalise a new strategic plan for its development and is helping to build the capacity of a number of parliamentary committees. The Government also plan to commit £5 million to a new multi-donor 'deepening democracy' programme which will include help for the implementation of the strategic plan that Parliament is now finalising.
	In March our high commission in Kampala funded a visit of Ugandan opposition MPs to the UK to enable them to gain a greater understanding of how an opposition works within a parliamentary democracy. We will continue to look for further opportunities to work with the Ugandan parliament in the run up to the 2011 elections.

Zambia: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in Zambia.

Ian McCartney: Following elections, which we believed set a strong example within the Southern African Development Community, Zambia has continued to enjoy political stability. Underpinning this is Zambia's continued strong economic performance. In their 27 December 2006 report, the International Monetary Fund forecast a solid 6 per cent. growth for 2006, with an outlook of 7 per cent. for 2007. The 2007 Budget speech contained a useful restatement of the Government's commitment to sound macroeconomic policies and fiscal discipline.
	President Mwanawasa has also targeted corruption as a key Government priority. The 4 May judgment by the London High Court against former President Chiluba in a civil case brought before it on behalf of the Zambian Attorney-General was a historic event. It sends a powerful message in Zambia, but with a resonance beyond, that plundering a nation's resources will not be tolerated. We look forward to the money being returned to the Zambian people.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place a copy of the national guidance stating that accident and emergency departments should serve a catchment population of 450,000 to 500,000 people in the Library.

Andy Burnham: The Department has not issued guidance stating that accident and emergency departments should cover a given catchment population.
	It is a matter for the local national health service to ensure that there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency services that are responsive to people's needs.

General Practitioners

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations her Department has received on the support general practitioners are receiving from primary care trusts in delivering change; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department and the ministerial team meet stakeholder organisations including the Improvement Foundation, NHS Alliance, National Association of Primary Care, NHS Primary Care Contracting team, British Medical Association, and Royal College of General Practitioners on a regular basis. They are key stakeholders in the implementation of practice based commissioning which relies on good relationships with and support from primary care trusts.

Midwives: Insurance

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with plans to require independent midwives to have professional indemnity insurance; and what consultation  (a) has taken place and  (b) is planned with (i) midwives, (ii) other healthcare professionals and (iii) women on those plans.

Ivan Lewis: The White Paper stated that the introduction of compulsory indemnity insurance of all registered health professionals will be required in time.
	The introduction of compulsory professional indemnity cover for midwives will require secondary legislation. A three-month public consultation will form part of that legislative process. No specific date for this has yet been set.
	The chief nursing officer has met with and written to independent midwives and is investigating alternative contractual arrangements which may resolve the issue.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take to decrease the time-lag between the conclusion of clinical trials and subsequent licensing of orphan medicines for the treatment of serious, life threatening or chronically debilitating illnesses and their availability to patients.

Caroline Flint: Applications for marketing authorisations for designated orphan medicinal products are required to be submitted via the European centralised procedure and hence applications for national United Kingdom marketing authorisations are not possible. The time taken from submission of a Marketing Authorisation application to licence issue is therefore outside of the control of the UK and follows the timetable for European centralised applications.
	However, where there is a clear clinical need there is the possibility that orphan medicinal products can be made available to patients, prior to the grant of a marketing authorisation, under a compassionate use programme authorised by the European Medicines Agency and there is the possibility for accelerated consideration of a marketing authorisation application by that agency.

Out-patients

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many outpatient appointments were missed  (a) in England and  (b) in each relevant NHS organisation in the most recent year for which figures are available; what proportion of the total number of out-patient appointments this figure represented for each relevant NHS organisation; and what estimate she has made of the overall cost to the NHS of such missed appointments.

Andy Burnham: The number of missed out-patient appointments in England in 2005-06 was 5,582,315 or 11 per cent. of all national health service out-patient appointments. Data for individual trusts have been placed in the Library. The Department has not estimated the cost of missed appointments. The choose and book system can be used to help reduce the number of missed appointments by giving patients greater certainty and choice over the date, time and place of their appointments.

Referral-to-Treatment Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1088W, on referral-to-treatment waiting times, when she plans to publish data related to admitted patients.

Andy Burnham: Publication will begin as soon as the data are of sufficient quality.
	Referral-to-treatment times for admitted patients who completed that 18 week pathway in March 2007 will be published in June.

Screening: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) mean and  (b) median waiting time has been for a (i) magnetic resonance imaging, (ii) computerised tomography, (iii) non-obstetric ultrasound, (iv) barium enema, (v) DEXA scan, (vi) cardiology - echocardiography, (vii) cardiology - electrophysiology, (viii) peripheral neurophysiology, (ix) colonoscopy, (x) flexi sigmoidoscopy, (xi) cytoscopy and (xii) gastroscopy test in each month since January 2006.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Commissioner based mean and median waiting time information for diagnostic test—2006s 
			  Weeks 
			  Month end  January 2006  February 2006  March 2006  April 2006  May 2006 
			  Test  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time 
			 Magnetic Resonance Imaging 6.4 9.3 5.2 7.3 4.9 6.5 5.4 6.9 4.9 6.6 
			 Computed Tomography 2.7 4.8 2.6 4.3 2.4 3.8 2.7 4.1 2.5 4.0 
			 Non-obstetric ultrasound 4.3 7.3 3.8 6.2 3.8 5.8 4.1 6.0 3.8 5.8 
			 Barium Enema 2.9 5.5 2.6 4.6 2.7 4.4 2.8 4.5 2.6 4.4 
			 DEXA Scan 7.6 13.0 5.7 10.9 6.1 11.0 6.3 10.9 5.9 10.5 
			 Cardiology-echocardiography 8.1 13.4 6.9 12.7 6.5 12.4 6.2 9.1 5.9 8.6 
			 Cardiology-electrophysiology 9.8 11.1 8.2 10.6 9.7 11.7 10.4 12.0 10.8 12.2 
			 Neurophysiology-peripheral neurophysiology 11.8 19.6 11.9 19.5 10.6 18.3 11.3 19.0 11.0 18.8 
			 Colonoscopy 11.0 23.5 10.2 20.5 8.8 19.7 8.7 18.6 8.3 18.0 
			 Flexi sigmoidoscopy 7.0 12.6 6.3 12.2 6.3 11.4 6.5 11.2 5.9 10.6 
			 Cystoscopy 6.7 10.1 5.9 9.5 5.7 9.0 6.3 9.1 5.9 8.6 
			 Gastroscopy 7.0 12.8 6.1 12.1 6.0 11.7 6.3 11.7 5.9 11.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Weeks 
			  Month end  June 2006  July 2006  August 2006  September 2006  October 2006 
			  Test  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time 
			 Magnetic resonance imaging 4.4 6.1 4.5 6.0 4.9 6.3 4.5 6.1 4.3 5.7 
			 Computed tomography 2.5 4.0 2.6 4.1 2.7 4.3 2.4 3.9 2.4 3.6 
			 Non-obstetric ultrasound 3.5 5.3 3.6 5.3 3.9 5.5 3.4 5.1 3.4 4.9 
			 Barium enema 2.3 3.6 2.4 3.7 2.6 3.9 2.3 3.9 2.4 3.5 
			 DEXA scan 5.3 9.9 5.5 10.8 5.3 10.2 4.7 9.5 4.6 9.5 
			 Cardiology-echocardiography 5.6 8.5 5.5 8.5 6.1 9.2 5.4 8.7 5.1 8.5 
			 Cardiology-electrophysiology 10.1 11.7 9.6 11.7 10.2 11.6 9.9 11.1 9.0 10.6 
			 Neurophysiology-peripheral neurophysiology 9.8 17.9 10.2 18.1 10.7 18.1 10.4 17.7 10.0 17.0 
			 Colonoscopy 7.5 17.7 7.4 17.4 7.5 16.6 7.0 16.2 6.4 15.0 
			 Flexi sigmoidoscopy 5.8 10.0 5.5 9.9 5.8 9.4 5.1 8.9 4.8 8.6 
			 Cystoscopy 5.7 8.5 5.7 8.5 6.0 8.7 5.6 8.6 5.4 8.5 
			 Gastroscopy 5.7 11.2 5.6 11.1 5.5 10.7 4.8 10.1 4.3 9.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Weeks 
			  Month end  November  2006  December  2006  January  2007  February  2007 
			  Test  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time 
			 Magnetic resonance imaging 4.2 5.5 4.9 6.0 4.3 5.7 4.0 5.0 
			 Computed tomography 2.1 3.3 2.9 4.0 2.1 3.3 2.1 2.9 
			 Non-obstetric ultrasound 3.1 4.5 3.8 5.0 2.9 4.7 3.0 4.1 
			 Barium enema 2.1 3.3 2.9 3.9 2.2 3.6 2.0 3.0 
			 DEXA scan 4.4 9.4 4.8 9.4 3.7 7.1 3.7 6.3 
			 Cardiology-echocardiography 4.7 7.1 5.2 7.8 4.7 7.0 4.1 6.3 
			 Cardiology-electrophysiology 9.8 11.0 9.1 10.4 8.9 9.8 7.0 8.8 
			 Neurophysiology-peripheral neurophysiology 9.0 16.7 9.8 17.6 9.7 16.8 7.2 14.9 
			 Colonoscopy 6.4 15.8 6.8 15.9 6.4 14.6 4.9 13.6 
			 Flexi sigmoidoscopy 4.5 9.0 5.2 9.4 4.4 9.1 4.1 9.0 
			 Cystoscopy 5.0 8.0 5.7 8.7 5.5 8.4 4.9 7.8 
			 Gastroscopy 4.1 9.8 4.7 9.9 3.8 9.1 3.6 8.5 
			  Source: Department of Health, DM01

Surgery: Private Sector

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations funded by her Department were planned to be undertaken by independent sector treatment centres in the first wave; how many operations were undertaken; and how many operations it is estimated will be undertaken within the contract period.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 It is expected that the first wave of the independent sector treatment centre programme, including the general supplementary contracts, will deliver approximately 870,000 procedures for national health service patients. The contracted case mix is indicative only and the actual delivered activity may vary. As at 31 March 2007 more than 160,000 procedures had been delivered through the programme.

York Capio Centre

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1055W, on York Capio Centre, what procedures were carried out at the Clifton NHS Treatment Centre in 2006-07; how many patients underwent each procedure; and what the average cost per case was for each procedure;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1055W, on York Capio Centre, how many procedures the Clifton NHS Treatment Centre was contracted to carry out in 2006-07; how many were carried out in that year; and how many procedures the centre is contracted to carry out in each year between 2007-08 and 2010-11.

Andy Burnham: There were 1,522 patient discharges from the Clifton national health service treatment centre in 2006-07. Information on patients discharged is not held by procedure.
	Utilisation of independent sector treatment centre contracts is measured on the basis of value rather than activity, this is to allow for the variations which occur through substitution of activity between procedures of varying value. This in turn allows the schemes to better meet the requirements of local NHS commissioners. Recent changes to the casemix at the treatment centre, at the request of sponsoring primary care trusts, has meant that the total expected activity is now 8,455 procedures over the life of the contract.
	As the vast majority of wave 1 independent sector treatment centres are now operational, the Department is currently reviewing the release of contractual, financial and utilisation data. A decision will be taken shortly and I will write to the hon. Member.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police command units are taking part in the current Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign.

Tony McNulty: There are 166 participating basic command units of the police participating in the current Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign, in partnership with Trading Standards Officers.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when an assessment of the results of the current Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign will be made available.

Vernon Coaker: The current national Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign is due to end in July. The final results will be made available as soon as all the results from across the 166 participating basic command units have been collated and verified.

Antisocial Behaviour

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to make membership of a gang  (a) a factor in relation to sentencing and  (b) an offence.
	(2)  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007 to the hon. Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott),  Official Report, column 1224, on knife crimes, when he will publish his plans on whether or not to make membership of a gangan aggravating factor in sentencing.

John Reid: The Sentencing Guidelines Council document "Overarching Principles: Seriousness", published in December 2004, sets out the factors affecting sentencing, and includes groups or gangs as an aggravating factor. Section 1.22 ("Factors indicating higher culpability") includes "Offenders operating in groups or gangs". We are now considering whether this is sufficient, or whether it should be extended to cover all offences where the offender is a member of a gang, irrespective of whether the offence was committed with other members of the group or gang, or whether a new offence is needed.
	This issue was considered by a working group drawn from the Home Secretary's Round Table on Guns, Gangs and Knives on 18 May, which will report back to the next Round Table meeting, due to be held on 26 June.

Asylum Seekers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were  (a) charged,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted of offences under section 35(3) and (4) of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004 in each year since its coming into force; how many had a previous conviction under this Act; how many and what percentage of those convicted thereunder received custodial sentences; how many and what percentage have been successfully deported on completion of that sentence; and how many and what percentage of those (i) charged, (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted of the above mentioned offences had previously been convicted of such an offence.

Liam Byrne: The answer is as follows:
	
		
			  S35 (3) and (4) 
			   Charged/prosecuted  Convicted 
			 2005 4 3 
			 2006 14 9 
			 2007 2 1 
			 Total 20 13 
			  Note: This table provides local management information from both Border Control and Enforcement and Removals criminal investigation teams. 
		
	
	20 individuals have been charged/prosecuted for offences under section 35(3) and (4) of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 by Border Control and Enforcement and Removals Criminal Investigation Teams since the Act received Royal assent in July 2004.
	Of the 13 persons convicted, 12 (92.3 per cent.) received custodial sentences (the other one received a suspended sentence). Of those serving a custodial sentence none have been removed so far. Of the other individuals, two have been removed so far.
	Of the 20 persons charged/prosecuted and the 13 persons convicted, three persons have been previously convicted of offences under section 35(3) and (4) of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004. This represents 15 per cent. of the total number of people charged and 23 per cent. of those convicted respectively.
	It should be noted that these figures are locally collated management information and may be subject to change.

Children: Abuse

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that data on offences against children are recorded by  (a) age of victim and  (b) offence and made available at national level.

John Reid: The police record crimes that come to their attention committed against all victims, including children (those aged under 16). Information in the Home Office police recorded crime statistics do not currently separately identify the age of offenders or victims.
	Work is in progress to develop a data system that will allow such information to be produced in the future. Record level data from all forces in England and Wales will be collated in a central data hub within the Home Office. Information on individual offences will be returned, including the offence type and victim characteristics such as age. This system will be used to derive and present police recorded crime statistics nationally and sub-nationally. Statistics will be released within the annual Crime in England and Wales bulletin, as part of National Statistics. However, before that happens a full assessment of the reliability and completeness of any new data collected will have to be made.

Crime: Intellectual Property

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in implementing the recommendation of the Gowers Review that intellectual property crime should be given higher policing priority; what support he has given to police forces on intellectual property crime; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: The Gowers Review recommended that
	"The Home Office should recognise IP crime as an area for police action as a component of organised crime within the updated National Community Safety Plan."
	This has been implemented. The National Community Safety Plan update, published in November last year, includes among key actions for the police service in 2007-08:
	"To ensure asset recovery powers are used to the full and to have strategies against all the major threats set out in the UK Threat Assessment ...including fraud and intellectual property crime."
	The Home Office plays an active role in the National IP Crime Strategy and the SOCA programme board on tackling serious criminals involved in identity fraud, IP theft and counterfeit currency. The priority given to IP crime by all Government enforcement agencies has risen since the launch of the national IP Crime strategy in 2004, with ACPO identifying IP Crime as a spotlight crime. Government recently committed an additional £5 million for 2007-08 to accompany additional powers for Trading Standards to enforce against copyright counterfeiting and piracy.

Departments: Energy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and  (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night.

Liam Byrne: Instructions for PC shutdown are not centrally managed within the Home Office. Shut down policies vary, dependant on individual Business area requirements.
	The user information for most Home Office IT systems require users to power off their base unit and monitors at night, but not everyone does so. The Sustainable Development Team, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Information Officer are working towards raising the profile of Sustainable Operation Targets, and how best the Home Office can meet them.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure his Department uses to ascertain support within relevant public bodies and Government Departments for proposed legislation.

John Reid: Each non-departmental public body or executive agency for which we are responsible has a "sponsor" unit within the Home Office. Such units would normally liaise routinely and regularly with the relevant body as part of the normal policy development process which leads to legislation. As part of the normal function of Government, we obtain collective ministerial agreement on significant proposals or those which affect other Departments. Other Departments would respond on behalf of those bodies for which they are responsible, seeking their views directly where appropriate.
	Where time, resources and the parliamentary process permits, we will consult on legislation in draft and undertake full public consultations to obtain a wider range of views.

Departments: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in his Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Liam Byrne: Where it is available, the information requested is recorded in the following table, covering the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	Within the Home Office and its Agencies there are separate arrangements for awarding bonuses. Staff may receive annual, appraisal-related awards based on their exceptional contribution throughout the year, or special bonuses for exceptional, specific work. Senior civil servants can be awarded bonuses as set out in the senior salaries review body report number 62.
	
		
			   Amount paid (£)  Number paid  Total staff (headcount) 
			 2004-05 3,459,397 4,710 24,081 
			 2005 -06 3,612,916 5,014 25,343 
			  Notes: 1. The data for appraisal-related bonus payments are included only for Home Office HQ and Border and Immigration Agency (BIA). The data for the public sector Prison Service are excluded as they can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Identity and Passport Agency (IPS) does not run an appraisal-related bonus scheme.  2. Data for special bonus payments are included only for the Senior Civil Service (for the whole Department and its Agencies) and IPS for 2004-05 and 2005-06 for certain bonuses where information is available.  3. Data recorded for performance appraisal payments relate to the previous reporting year and not the financial year in which the bonuses themselves were paid.  4. Staffing data are for those in Home Office HQ and BIA and all senior civil servants in the Department and its Agencies. For 2004-05 and 2005-06 IPS staff are included.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the reports produced by consultants to his Department in each of the last five years.

John Reid: There is no central record of reports produced by consultants for the Department. To examine files for all individual pieces of consultancy dating back to 2002 would incur a disproportionate cost. Requirements for consultants are subject to value for money reviews at the point of purchase.

Departments: Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office is committed to the sustainable operations in Government target to purchase at least 10 per cent. of its energy from renewable sources by 31 March 2008. The amount of renewable energy the Home Office purchased in 2005-06 was 65,502,271 kWh all of which was electricity. This represents 17 per cent. of the total energy purchased, which exceeds the target.

Departments: Speeches

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his speech delivered in Venice on Saturday 12 May to Ministers representing the G6 nations of the EU represents Government policy; and if he will place in the Library a full text of the speech.

John Reid: holding answer 18 May 2007
	The G6 meeting is a regular informal gathering of the Homeland Ministers of the six largest European countries. During the G6 meeting of the 11 and 12 May, I did not give any formal speeches so there is no text of a speech. I did, however, make a number of interventions during the summit on a range of issues. All of those interventions were entirely consistent with Government policy.

Drugs: Children

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been  (a) arrested,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) imprisoned for drugs offences since 2005.

John Reid: There were 14,500 persons aged 17 and under arrested for notifiable drug offences in England and Wales in 2004-05, the latest year for which data have been published (HOSB 21/05).
	Latest available prosecutions data relate to persons aged under 17 cautioned or dealt with at court for all drug offences in England and Wales during 2004 (HOSB 23/05).
	Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	
		
			  Persons aged under 17 dealt with for principal drug offences( 1)  by action taken: England and Wales 2004 
			  Action taken  Number of persons 
			  Dealt with at court  
			 Found guilty 3,180 
			  O f which:  
			 Immediate custody 86 
			 Suspended sentence — 
			 Non-custodial 3,094 
			   
			 Found not guilty 402 
			 Total dealt with at court 3,582 
			 Cautioned 5,797 
			 Other(2) 10 
			 Total 9,389 
			 (1) In the case of persons charged with two or more drug offences, the principal drug offence is the one for which attracted the most severe penalty. (2) Includes informal warnings and no further action.

Identity Cards

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission a successor report to the KPMG Outline Business Case following recent changes to the details of the proposed Identity Cards Scheme.

John Reid: KPMG were originally commissioned to review the outline business case put forward by the Home Office.
	The business cases related to the National Identity Scheme have also been scrutinised by Her Majesty's Treasury and are subject to the Office of Government Commerce Gateway Review Process.
	There are no plans to commission any further such reports but this may be considered in the future.

Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Immigration and Nationality Directorate enforcement officials keep a record of the  (a) confirmed and  (b) unconfirmed illegal individuals dealt with while carrying out (i) raids and (ii) searches.

John Reid: The Border and Immigration Agency do keep records of illegal migrants encountered during operational visits and searches.
	Officers undertake intelligence led operational visits and searches to detain and remove persons who no longer have the right to remain in the UK and do so in line with operational policy and guidance, which is available to view at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/policyinstructions/oem

Immigrants: EC Enlargement

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of A8 accession country immigrants working in the UK's social care sector.

John Reid: Information taken from registration of A8 nationals under the worker registration scheme shows that there were almost 6,200 persons working as care assistants and home carers and 300 as social workers for the calendar year 2006, as published in Annex A of the Accession Monitoring Report on 27 February 2007 at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report
	The sectors and occupations used in the Worker Registration Scheme do not conform to the ONS standard industrial and occupational classifications.
	The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Immigration

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have left the UK following removal of their support under section 9 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004.

John Reid: Information on the number of voluntary and enforced returns will be included in the section 9 pilot evaluation report when it is published.

Immigration

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had their asylum support removed as a result of section 9 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1311W.
	Updated information on the number of families who had support withdrawn under the section 9 provision will be included in the section 9 pilot evaluation report when it is published.

IND

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate have been investigated for impropriety since 31 July 2006.

Liam Byrne: In recording data on investigations, we do not have a specific category called "impropriety". The number of investigations commissioned within the Border and Immigration Agency investigated or under investigation for potential misconduct between 1 August 2006 and 30 April 2007 is 322.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Warley of 12 March on Mrs. Nagina Bi of Smethwick.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 18 May 2007.

Members: Correspondence

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Taunton of 19 February on the location of passport interview centres.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 21 May 2007
	Bernard Herdan, executive director of service delivery for the Identity and Passport Service, replied on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid) to the hon. Member for Taunton's letter on 7 March 2007. A copy of Mr. Herdan's letter is as follows:
	 Letter from Bernard Herdan, dated 7 March 2007:
	Thank you for your letter of 19 February to the Rt Hon John Reid MP. It has been passed to me to reply as Executive Director, Service Planning and Delivery at the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).
	The network of 69 interview offices has been designed to strike a balance between keeping costs (and therefore fees) as low as possible while making journeys to interviews as short as possible. The proposed locations have been verified by a consultancy and take into account consultations with authorities and agencies responsible for sparsely populated areas. I have enclosed a document "Passport Office Authentication by Interview Network", which will give you more information on how we decided the locations of the interview offices, The interview office network is intended to provide an office within an hour's travelling time for over 95% of the UK population. In remote, sparsely populated areas where it is not cost-effective to set up an interview office, we are putting in place videoconferencing facilities to conduct the interview to avoid people having to make long journeys. This will affect a small number of applicants who live more than an hour's journey from an interview office, estimated to be less than 4,000 per year in 25 areas.
	When assessing interview office locations and travelling times to those offices we considered both private and public transport and used all available local and national transport and census data on population movements and modes of travel.
	Each location has been selected as part of a mutually supporting network; no individual location can be changed without affecting the whole network.
	I hope this has clarified the situation.

Migrant Workers: Children

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) migrant workers and  (b) school age children of migrant workers in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland; and how many such children are registered in schools in (A) Wales, (B) England, (C) Scotland and (D) Northern Ireland, broken down by country of origin.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 March 2007
	 The Home Office has not made estimates of any of the figures requested.
	Figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), estimate that there were 3.075 million people who were born overseas in employment in the UK in April-June 2006. A breakdown on a comparable basis for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not available from ONS. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	Comparable estimates of the number of school age children of people who were born overseas and were in employment in the UK are not available.
	Information on the number of children of migrant workers registered in schools is a matter for the various Education Ministers. They have informed me that this information is not collated centrally.

National Identity Register

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will happen to the information registered on the National Identity Register of individuals who do not re-register from the scheme.

John Reid: Information will be retained on the National Identity Register, in accordance with section 3.1 of the Identity Cards Act 2006,
	"for as long as it is consistent with the statutory purposes for it to be recorded in the Register".

Net Migration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007 to the hon. Member for City of York,  Official Report, column 1226, on net migration, what the exact number of A8 accession country immigrants working in the NHS is; and if he will break this number down by  (a) job and  (b) nationality.

John Reid: Information taken from registration of A8 nationals under the worker registration scheme shows that there were 9,790 registrations for the health and medical sector for the calendar year 2006. We are unable to confirm how many of this number were working in the NHS.
	The jobs that the A8 workers, including those in the health and medical sector were doing are listed in Annex A of the accession monitoring report published on 27 February 2007 at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report.
	The nationality of those registering is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Accession state worker registration scheme— initial approvals  2006 health and medical sector 
			   Number 
			 Czech Rep 558 
			 Estonia 87 
			 Hungary 469 
			 Latvia 147 
			 Lithuania 515 
			 Poland 7,036 
			 Slovakia 965 
			 Slovenia 14 
			 Total 9,790 
			  Note: The figures have not been rounded to the nearest five as in the published accession monitoring report. 
		
	
	The sectors and occupations used in the worker registration scheme do not conform to the ONS standard industrial and occupational classifications.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Net Migration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007 to the hon. Member for City of York (Hugh Bayley),  Official Report, column 1226, on net migration, what provisions there are in the points based system to allow for fast-track work permits.

John Reid: Under the new points based system, employers on our sponsorship register will issue Certificates of Sponsorship to prospective employees who will apply for leave to enter at posts abroad or leave to remain if extending their stay in-country.

Passports

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used when finalising the list of approved passport photo countersignatories.

John Reid: A countersignatory for a passport application must be a professional person, or a person of standing in the community, who holds a current British or Irish passport. There is no exhaustive list of approved countersignatories; the passport application form and the Identity and Passport Service website give examples of the types of occupations which would be considered acceptable but there is no intention to preclude other people who meet the criteria.

Passports

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of passport applications submitted using the Check and Send service were refused in the last 12 months; on what grounds applications may be refused; and how many applications were refused on each of those grounds over that period.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 18 May 2007
	 Passports are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State under the Royal prerogative. In practice, passports are issued when the Secretary of State is satisfied as to the identity and British nationality of applicants, in accordance with legislation, except in certain well defined categories, of which Parliament has been informed from time to time. These are:
	(i) a minor whose journey was known to be contrary to a court order, to the wishes of a parent or other person or authority in whose favour a residence or care order had been made or who had been awarded custody; or care and control, or to the provisions of section 25(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 as amended by section 42 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, or section 56 of the Adoption Act 1976, as amended by the Children Act 1989;
	(ii) a person for whose arrest a warrant had been issued in the United Kingdom, or a person who was wanted by the United Kingdom police on suspicion of a serious crime;
	(iii) in very rare cases, a person whose past or proposed activities were so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued enjoyment of passport facilities would be contrary to the public interest;
	(iv) a person repatriated from abroad at public expense until the debt has been repaid.
	In addition, passports would not be issued to those who were currently the subject of Football Banning Orders or Travel Restriction Orders.
	The statistics available show only the breakdown between those applications which failed on nationality grounds and those rejected for other reasons. In the 2006 calendar year 0.38 per cent. of the 2,846,324 applications received through the Check and Send service were rejected. The numbers in each category were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Nationality grounds 2,634 
			 Other reasons 8,266

Passports: Children

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of new child passport applications were refused in the last 12 months; on what grounds applications may be refused; and how many applications over that period were refused on each of those grounds.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 18 May 2007
	 Passport applications may be refused if the applicant does not hold British nationality, has not satisfactorily established their identity or falls into one of certain well defined categories, of which Parliament has been informed from time to time. The only one of these categories which is relevant to new child passport applications is as follows:
	a minor whose journey was known to be contrary to a court order, to the wishes of a parent or other person or authority in whose favour a residence or care order had been made or who had been awarded custody; or care and control, or to the provisions of section 25(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 as amended by section 42 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, or section 56 of the Adoption Act 1976, as amended by the Children Act 1989.
	The statistics available show only the breakdown between those applications which failed on nationality grounds and those rejected for other reasons. In the 2006 calendar year 1.2 per cent. of the 948,201 first applications for children were rejected. The numbers in each category were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Nationality grounds 4,108 
			 Other reasons 7,269

Passports: Elderly

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will make it its policy to give free passports to those who have reached the age of 75 years.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 18 May 2007
	Free passports are available to people born on or before 2 September 1929. This concession, which was announced on 19 May 2004, was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by adults during the second world war and it has previously been made clear that it would not be extended.

Police: East Midlands

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the merits of establishing a regional ICT network for East Midlands police authorities.

Tony McNulty: The five East Midlands police forces have indicated that they intend to submit a bid for funding which may include enhancement to support IT interoperability and collaborative working as part of the protective services demonstrator site programme which the Home Office will be supporting. Their bid will be evaluated alongside bids from other police forces.

Police: Equal Opportunities

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 479W, on police equal opportunities, when he expects the Women in Policing Steering Group to report on whether further targets should be set for the recruitment, retention and progression of female police officers.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The Women in Policing Steering Group will consider whether further targets should be set for the recruitment, retention and progression of female police officers at their next meeting on 28 June 2007.

Police: Firearms

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on police rules of engagement with firearms.

Tony McNulty: There have been no recent discussions. Operational tactics when using firearms are a matter for the police and the use of firearms is governed by ACPO guidelines. Once authorised to use firearms, it is for the individual officer to ensure they act within the law. The Criminal Law Act 1967 provides that the police may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances to effect an arrest or to prevent crime.

Police: Standards

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings he has held with the Police Federation on targets for frontline police officers since 1 January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 21 May 2007
	 I have regular meetings with the Police Federation, at which we discuss a range of issues, including performance targets and other matters affecting frontline officers.

Police: Training

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police and  (b) other personnel were trained in surveillance through the National Specialist Law Enforcement Centre in each of the last 10 years.

John Reid: The National Specialist Law Enforcement Centre was established in 2001. Provision of surveillance training includes mobile surveillance, foot surveillance and static observation posts. The figures in the following table covering the period 1997 to 2001 are based on a fixed training programme delivered by the National Police Training Specialist Crime Centre and agreed with the Regional Crime Squad.
	
		
			  Financial year  Police( 1)  Other Personnel( 2) 
			 1997-98 168 0 
			 1998-99 168 0 
			 1999-2000 258 0 
			 2000-01 258 0 
			 2001-02 323 0 
			 2002-03 605 0 
			 2003-04 805 0 
			 2004-05 655 18 
			 2005-06 725 22 
			 2006-07 504 221 
			 (1) Police personnel include RAF Police, British Transport Police, Regional Crime Squad as well as the territorial police forces of England and Wales. (2) "Other Personnel" in years 2004-06 are Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff involved in Operation Reflex working in partnership with the National Crime Squad. Those for 2006-07 are for Serious Organised Crime Agency staff, previously categorised as police personnel.

Police: West Midlands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in Government funding for West Midlands Police was over the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage change in total Government grants for West Midlands Police, 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			   Total Government grants( 2,)( )( 3)( ) (£ million)  Annual change in total grants  (percentage) 
			 2005-06 468.85 5.9 
			 2005-06(1) 468.02 — 
			 2006-07 491.77 5.1 
			 2007-08 516.83 5.1 
			 (1) Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006/07. (2) Total Government grant comprises: Home Office police grant, Department for Communities and Local Government revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates; special formula grant; specific grants: crime fighting fund, basic command unit funding, community support officer funding, neighbourhood policing fund and capital grant. (3) The minimum increase in general grant for all police authorities was 3.75 per cent. in 2005-06. The increase for West Midlands Police Authority was 6.81 per cent. In 2006-07 and 2007-08 there was a broadly flat rate increase for all police authorities of 3.1 per cent. and 3.6 per cent. respectively. West Midlands received increases of 3.4 per cent. and 3.8 per cent. respectively.

Terrorism: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000 were from (i) East Sussex and (ii) Eastbourne in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not collate this information in the form requested.

Workers Registration Scheme

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workers were registered under the Workers Registration Scheme in  (a) Cambridgeshire,  (b) Norfolk and  (c) Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Regional information on those workers who came to work in the UK from the eight Eastern European countries which acceded to the EU on 1 May 2004 is published in the Accession Monitoring report. The requirement for workers from these countries to register on the Worker Registration Scheme has applied from 1 May 2004 only.
	Information about the number of workers in the areas specifically requested is not available in the report. However, the number of workers in the Anglia, Midlands and Central regions who have registered from 1 May 2004 to 31 December 2006 is published in table 8 of the Accession Monitoring Report, on the following link:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report
	The next Accession Monitoring Report will be published on the 22 May 2007.

Written Questions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer Questions  (a) 131379,  (b) 131380 and  (c) 131381, on British citizenship, tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 28 March 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 April 2007
	I replied to my right hon. Friend on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 543W.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints Serco have received on the treatment of women detainees at Yarl's Wood, broken down by subject of complaint.

Liam Byrne: Since the commencement of the new Serco contract to operate Yarl's Wood there have been nine official complaints made to Serco by detainees. Three have been related to healthcare, two concerned the food, and four regarding single issues; the issue of shampoo and washing tablets, the escort process, the reception process and one complaint against staff, which was related to a detainee feeling unsupported by staff.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the management contract with Serco in respect of Yarl's Wood stipulates in relation to the treatment of women detainees; and what guidance he has issued to Serco on  (a) locked room detention,  (b) access to or possession of mobile phones and  (c) access to international news via satellite television.

Liam Byrne: The contract that exists between the Home Office and Serco outlines the requirement for a full, varied and active regime for the detainees held at Yarl's Wood IRC. Detainees are required to be in their rooms for the 23:15 roll count, but are free to move around their accommodation units after this time. Detainees are allowed to be in possession of mobile phones and there are no plans to restrict their use. There is no restriction to satellite news; there was a fault with the system early in May but this has been resolved.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking in response to the protest by female detainees at Yarl's Wood removal centre; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 May 2007
	 There have been unfounded rumours that the quality of care provided to detainees at Yarl's Wood will be reduced in the wake of the operating contract transfer from GSL to Serco. The new contract director Victoria Jones spoke to the detainees in Yarl's Wood on two occasions on 4 and 5 May, and has also written to the detainees about their concerns. The centre has remained mainly calm. Complaints and concerns are addressed as they arise.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ascension Island: Overseas Aid

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of UK aid was allocated to Ascension Island in 2006.

Gareth Thomas: There is no aid programme to Ascension Island. It is, however, eligible to apply for funds from the joint DFID/Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funded Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP). In 2006-07 Ascension had two OTEP projects:
	Environmental Information System with a total allocation of £98,810 over two years; and
	Improving Access to Green Mountain National Park with a total allocation £29,500 over one year.

Burundi: Education

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the government of Burundi on educational development.

Hilary Benn: I recently announced financial support for education in post-conflict states, including £6 million to Burundi over three years.
	I discussed our programme in Burundi, which has a strong focus on education, with the 1st Vice-President when he was in London last month. The Burundi Minister of Education and Culture also called on DFID during his visit to the UK in March, to explain the challenges facing the education sector in Burundi and how we might help them.
	We recognise the need to help the government provide access to quality education and a peace dividend for people who suffered over 12 years of civil war, which is why we provided support to Burundi to help implement the policy of free primary education, announced at the President's inauguration in August 2005. This included building and rehabilitating schools, training teachers and providing textbooks, which helped increase enrolment by around 40,000. Since then DFID has worked closely with the government of Burundi and a range of other partners on the development of a sector plan for educational development, and on financing arrangements. We are also working with the government to help them gain endorsement of their sector plan and entry to the Education-For-All fast track initiative.

China: Overseas Aid

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK aid has been allocated to China in 2007-08; what projects are being funded by that aid; and what factors were taken into account when determining whether it was appropriate to allocate UK aid to China.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's bilateral programme in China in 2007-08 will be £33.4 million. We provide assistance in the areas of basic education, combating HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis, health system reform and promoting the integration of water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion. This bilateral programme is due to end by 2010-11. The rationale for our bilateral programme is set out in the DFID Country Assistance Plan for 2006-11, a copy of which is available from the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/default.asp.
	The main justification is the large numbers of poor people who still live on less than $2 per day; and the good use that the Chinese make of international best practice in planning and implementing their own large domestic programmes, which deliver health and basic education services to poor people in China.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) budget and  (b) plans he has for the future support of water and sanitation projects in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: The UK has agreed that half of our direct bilateral aid to poor countries should be spent on basic services, including water, and we will double our total support to water and sanitation in Africa to £95 million a year by 2007-08 and more than double it again to £200 million a year by 2010-11.
	In 2005-06 we committed £78 million to Sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to some of the world's poorest people and where the millennium development goals (MDG) for water and sanitation are most off-track.
	Current bilateral commitments include a planned investment of £100 million in Ethiopia and around £20 million a year in Sudan. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have more than doubled our commitments on water and sanitation from £4 million a year in 2005-06 to £10 million a year by 2007-08.
	Our major commitments in Asia include £5.5 million to help deliver water and sanitation to £6 million slum dwellers in Indian cities. In Bangladesh, we support UNICEF's sanitation, environmental health and water programme, which helps 30 million people and 7,500 schools. We also provide nearly £16 million to the charity WaterAid's sanitation and environmental health programme. This has already reached over 1 million of some of Bangladesh's poorest people—and intends to reach a further 3 million over five years.
	But we cannot tackle this alone. That is why I have called for global action on water and sanitation.
	At the international level we are calling for two main things:
	one annual report to monitor progress towards achieving the MDG water and sanitation targets. This should set out levels of access to safe water and adequate sanitation, highlighting where progress is lagging behind.
	one high-level global annual meeting to review what is being done, highlight progress and agree on action.
	Within each country there should be:
	One national water and sanitation plan—setting out current levels of access and identifying the investment needed.
	One water and sanitation co-ordinating group—this should bring together government, civil society and donors to identify the blockages and agree who will do what.

Palestinians: Economic Situation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with international colleagues on the economic situation in the West Bank and Gaza.

Hilary Benn: I regularly discuss the economic situation in the West Bank and Gaza with counterparts from across the international community, and I recently met with the Palestinian Finance Minister, Salaam Fayyad.
	I remain concerned about the economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Average incomes are almost 40 per cent. below their 1999 levels and poverty is rising. The Palestinian Authority faces a massive funding shortfall, in large part due to the withholding of customs revenues by Israel. Restrictions on movement are a severe constraint on business.
	DFID is responding with £15 million in contributions through the Temporary International Mechanism, which supports basic services and pays allowances to public sector employees and the poorest Palestinians. We are also developing support to stimulate investment and business innovation in the OPTs.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the humanitarian needs of those who have fled Mogadishu since March 2007.

Hilary Benn: The security situation in Mogadishu and the surrounding area makes it difficult to assess the humanitarian situation precisely, and DFID has not made any independent assessment.
	However, there is wide consensus that over 350,000 people were displaced by fighting in Mogadishu at the end of March and beginning of April. Many estimates, including those of the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross, put the number higher. In addition the UN estimates that 30 to 40 per cent. of the population were unable to leave the city and were displaced within Mogadishu. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has accused the UN and the international relief agencies of overestimating the numbers, and asserts that only 30,000-40,000 were displaced.
	The feedback from those relief agencies currently operating in Mogadishu is that humanitarian needs are substantial in all sectors.
	Since January 2006 the UK has been the second largest donor of humanitarian relief to Somalia, including $7.4 million since January 2007, of which a substantial amount is being used to help those displaced by the fighting. We stand ready to provide more assistance where we can be sure this will make a difference to the poorest and most vulnerable Somalis.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the role of the new tuberculosis vaccine development in the  (a) progress and  (b) likely outcomes of the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006 to 2015.

Gareth Thomas: The Global Plan to Stop TB estimates that a new vaccine will be launched between 2014 and 2018, so will not have a major role on the progress and outcomes of the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-15. Simulations conducted as part of the Global Plan suggest that once introduced a new vaccine will reduce new cases of tuberculosis by 20 per cent. in the first 10 years and by 40 per cent. by 2050.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department made an estimate of the funding  (a) required and  (b) available to the programme for the research and development of a new tuberculosis vaccine.

Gareth Thomas: The Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-15 estimates that $3.6 billion will be required to research and develop a new tuberculosis vaccine and that there is a funding gap of $1.5 billion.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has considered the merits of providing research and development finance for the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and its programme of work.

Gareth Thomas: During 2007 DFID will be holding a consultation on a new strategy for research. As part of this consultation DFID will consider the merits of research and development for drugs and vaccines for neglected tropical diseases, including tuberculosis. DFID is already supporting the development of new drugs for tuberculosis, through the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation on its plans for the development and promotion of a new tuberculosis vaccine in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: Officials in DFID have met staff from the Aeras Global TB vaccine foundation several times in the last year and are kept up to date with its plans for the development and promotion of new tuberculosis vaccines in developing countries.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the funding requirements of the future roll out of a global tuberculosis vaccination programme.

Gareth Thomas: More work is required by the Stop TB Partnership to assess the funding requirements for the future roll out of a global tuberculosis vaccination programme. Some rough estimates suggest that about $340 billion per year will be required, based upon information from a number of sources.

JUSTICE

Electoral Register

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what estimate she has made of  (a) the number of people who are not on their local Electoral Register but would be eligible to vote were they on the Electoral Register,  (b) the number of people who are on a local Electoral Register but should not be,  (c) the number of people who appear on more than one Electoral Register and  (d) the number of people who appear more than once in a single Electoral Register.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 May 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding what estimate has been made of (a) the total number of people who are not on their local electoral register but are eligible to vote, (b) the total number of people who are on the local electoral register but should not be, (c) the total number of people who appear on more than one electoral register, and (d) the total number of people who appear more than once in a single electoral register. (137630)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not make any regular estimates of these figures.
	On occasion, the ONS has been commissioned to estimate the degree of non-registration of the eligible population. The Electoral Commission study "Understanding electoral registration" http://www.electoralcommission.org./templates/search/document.cfm/13545 reported the most recent estimate. The ONS's best estimate for non-registration among the eligible household population in England and Wales at 15 October 2000 lies between 8% and 9%. This estimate equates to approximately 3.5 million people.

Local Child Curfew Schemes: Sandwell

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many child curfew orders were issued in Sandwell metropolitan borough council area in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: Figures setting out the number of young people sentenced to curfew orders in the area covered by the Sandwell youth offending team in each of the last three years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Sandwell youth offending team—curfew orders 
			   Number 
			 2004 36 
			 2005 41 
			 2006 28

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ministerial Responsibilities

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what responsibilities he has following the restoration of devolved government.

Peter Hain: I still have overall responsibility for maintaining political stability in Northern Ireland, and for a number of excepted and reserved matters, notably elections, constitutional rights and policing and justice functions.

Criminal Justice System

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take to reduce crime in Northern Ireland under the continuing modernisation and review of the criminal justice system.

Maria Eagle: Overall levels of recorded crime in Northern Ireland fell by 1.7 per cent. in 2006-07 and are down 15 per cent. on 2002-03 levels.
	But we need to keep up our efforts. The reforms in policing and criminal justice have provided us with modern and effective institutions. Better partnership working has seen dramatic improvements in reducing domestic burglaries and vehicle crime. A new community safety strategy will be published this year. We are working on a strategy to reduce re-offending.
	We look forward to discussing these issues in detail with elected representatives in Northern Ireland, who I hope will take over responsibility for them as soon as possible, in line with the St Andrews agreement.

Departments: Assets

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of state assets previously administered by his Department are now under the remit of the Northern Irish Assembly; what their capital value is; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: None of the Northern Ireland Office's assets, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, are now under the remit of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Peter Hain: Within the Northern Ireland Office, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, I have responsibility for the following Government websites:
	
		
			  Website  Number of visitors  Cost of establishing site (£)  Cost of maintaining site (£) 
			 www.cicapni.org 1,370 visitors since May 2004 2,072.70 300.00 since January 2004 
			 www.nicscommissioners.org 7,339 per year 6,869.00 221.00 per annum 
			 www.Rucgcfoundation.org 329,025 (average per day -291) 1,057.50 235. 00 per annum (approx) 
			 www.nipolicefund.org On average 784 per month 1,556.00 575.00 per annum 
			 www.cjini.org 46,103 since March. 2005 6,895.00 2,425.33 since March. 2005 
			 www.octf.gov.uk 63,356 (January . 2005 to April 2007) 27,150.60 2,605.40 since Sept. 2002 
			 www.independentmonitoringcommission.org 24,317 since 2004 4,756.50 2,075.43 since 2004 
			 www.paradescommission.org n/a 16,000.00 2,000.00 per annum 
			 www.youthjusticeagencyni.gov.uk 32,319 since 2005 (figures not available for 2004) 11,338.75 for initial website. 10, 824.46 for enhancements. 2,185.50 per annum 
			 www. youthconferenceserviceni. gov.uk 69,052 since 2004 7,637.50 for initial website. 193.88 for enhancements. nil 
			 www.niprisonservice. gov.uk 75,000 since November 2005 to date 21,000.00 11,205.60 since 2002 
			 www.reportinghate.org 1,112 between June 2006 and December 2006 5,430.00 47.00 per annum 
			 www.communitysafetyunitni.gov.uk 56,930 between August 2002 and May 2007 3,760.00 Nil 
			 www.howsecureismyhome.com 1,121 between September 06 and April 07 2,145.00 Nil 
			 www.cjsni.gov.uk 41,711 between June 2005 and April 2007 Not known 4,386.00-2005-06 3,646.2000 -2006-07 
			 www. causeway.gOv.uk 7,278 since January 2003 1,487.13 4,614.00 since January 2003 
			 www.ppsni.gov.uk 25,064 since June 2005 6,545.00 4,803. 00 per annum 
			 www.fsni.gov.uk 397,683 7,740.00 Nil 
			 www. Compensationni.gov.uk 31,600 since May 2002 27,398.00 Nil 
			 www.imb-ni.org.uk n/a 10,516.25 Nil 
			 www .policeombudsman. org 341,954 since 2004 7,720.00 1,494.00 per annum 
			 www.sentencereview.org.uk n/a n/a 3,713.00 since 2002 
			 www.lsrcni.org.uk n/a n/a 2,632.00 since 2002 
			 www .niprisonerombudsman. gov.uk n/a 1,566.25 1,500.00 per annum 
			 www.oversightcommissioner.org 3, 000 per month (average) n/a 4,717.53 since 2003 
			 www.psni.police.uk 11,408,813 between 30 April 2006 and 30 April 2007 46,000.00 30,000.00 per annum 
			 www.districtpolicing.com 115,000 between January and July 2006 140,000.00 3 0,000.00 per annum 
			 www.nipolicingboard.org.uk relates to original website March 2002 to April 2007 161,000 from June 2004 to April 2007 20,000.00 2,500.00 per annum 
			 relates to revised website which went live on 27 April 2007 (1)— 99,000.00 5,500.00 per annum 
			 www.nio.gov.uk 611,283 since January. 2004 to December. 2006 49,290.00 613,198.00 since January. 2004 
			 n/a = not available (1) Not available—too early.

Driving Under Influence: Convictions

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there were in Northern Ireland for the offence of drink driving in each year since 2001; and how many resulted in  (a) a prison sentence,  (b) mandatory disqualification from driving and  (c) the maximum fine.

Maria Eagle: The following table gives the total number of convictions for drink driving offences and the method of disposal.
	It is not possible to determine the total number who were disqualified from driving due to drink driving offences, as this information is not broken down separately. The figures provided in the table, therefore, relate to those sentenced to a fine and/or disqualification.
	Data cover the calendar years 2001 to 2005 and during this period, the maximum fine was not imposed.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for drink driving offences, the number sentenced to immediate custody, the number sentenced to a fine and/or disqualification and number given other disposals 2001-05( 1,2,3) 
			   Total number convicted  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Number sentenced to fine and/or disqualification  Number of other disposals 
			 2001 1,890 20 1,808 62 
			 2002 2,037 10 1,949 78 
			 2003 2,278 24 2,159 95 
			 2004 2,438 12 2,331 95 
			 2005 2,536 21 2,394 121 
			 (1) Includes offences of 'driving with excess alcohol in breath', 'attempting to drive with excess alcohol in breath', 'in charge with excess alcohol in breath', 'driving with excess alcohol in blood', 'attempting to drive with excess alcohol in blood', 'in charge with excess alcohol in blood', 'driving with excess alcohol in urine', 'in charge with excess alcohol in urine', 'driving when unfit through drink or drugs', 'attempting to drive when unfit through drink or drugs', 'in charge when unfit through drink or drugs'. For the three latter offences which refer to drink or drugs it is not possible to determine from the dataset whether the offender was under the influence of drink or drugs. (2) Other disposals include suspended custody, supervision in the community and conditional discharge. (3) Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Forensic Science

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has considered with a view to supporting and improving the operation of forensic science services in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: Forensic science services in Northern Ireland are provided by Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI)—an agency of the NIO delivering independent expert forensic analysis and advice to the criminal justice system. It is held to account for its operation and performance by a ministerial advisory board which reports directly to me. A major modernisation programme, initiated in 2005, has resulted in considerable changes and improvements to the agency's operations. In addition work has been commissioned to reassess the accommodation needs of the agency, with a view to facilitating the further modernisation and development of its services.

Political Parties: Finance

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to consult on the regulations to be adopted under the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 on donations by Irish citizens to political parties in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: The Government intend to lay the draft Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (Northern Ireland Political Parties) Order 2007 before both Houses of Parliament as soon as practicable. The Electoral Commission have been consulted throughout the process of the drafting of the Order. The main political parties in Northern Ireland will be given advance sight of the draft Order before it is laid.
	A formal consultation exercise was carried out in 2005 on the future of donations to political parties in Northern Ireland. This gave rise to the donations provisions contained in Part 3 of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006. This, along with the Political Parties Elections and Referendum Act 2000, is the parent Act which contains the enabling power under which the 2007 Order will be made.

Prisons: Drugs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mandatory drug tests were carried out in each prison establishment in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and in how many of those tests results were  (a) positive,  (b) negative and  (c) inconclusive for the presence of banned substances.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not have a full programme of mandatory drug testing, although it is planned to change prison rules to enable this. However, there is currently extensive drug testing of prisoners on a voluntary basis, particularly as part of the progressive regime and earned privileges scheme, and also in relation to home leaves.
	Results of voluntary drug tests are only available for the last five years and are set out in the following table. Tests are diagnosed either positive or negative.
	
		
			   Number of tests  Number of positive  Number of negative 
			 2002
			 Maghaberry 853 84 633 
			 Magilligan 726 8] 623 
			 Hvdebank 1,280 124 1,156 
			 
			 2003
			 Maghaberry 310 64 186 
			 Magilligan 690 103 166 
			 Hydebank 2,040 166 1,874 
			 
			 2004
			 Maghaberry 821 251 566 
			 Magilligan 1,344 130 1,204 
			 Hydebank 2,680 225 2,453 
			 
			 2005
			 Maghaberry 1,175 383 757 
			 Magilligan 1,344 163 976 
			 Hydebank 2,603 704 2,073 
			 
			 2006
			 Maghaberry 1,510 419 962 
			 Magilligan 1,381 139 1,053 
			 Hydebank 1,678 134 1,544 
			  Note: At the end of each year there are always a number of test results outstanding.

PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by Number 10; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) today.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what conversations he had in April 2004 with President Bush concerning  (a) Al-Jazeera radio station and  (b) Fallujah; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he made in April 2004 to the US Administration on US tactics in the assault on Fallujah;
	(3)  what representations he made in April 2004 to the US Administration on the effect on British troops of American tactics in the assault on Fallujah;
	(4)  what negotiations he had with President Bush and other members of the US Administration in April 2004 on the re-deployment of British troops outside south-eastern Iraq.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 13 January 2005,  Official Report, column 597W; and, the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 28 November 2005,  Official Report, column 23W.

SCOTLAND

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff funded by the public purse in his Office are classified as people without posts.

David Cairns: None.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in his Department's balance sheet  (a) is and  (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Over the last five years, the Department's PFI project for the redevelopment of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington was included in the Department's balance sheet. The PFI contract was terminated in December 2004. The building is now owned outright by the Department and continues to appear on the balance sheet. The value of the building at termination was £86.3 million [the current value is £92.6 million]. The Department had one other PFI during the period—the provision of IT—services—which was and still is off the balance sheet.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by his Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry had two private finance initiative projects during the period—the PFI project for the redevelopment of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at Teddington, which was terminated in December 2004, and the provision of its IT services. Service payments for NPL PFI contract were met from a programme budget. Payments for IT services are met from the Department's administration budget. The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   NPL  IT Services 
			 2001-02 7.1 35.2 
			 2002-03 7.4 45.1 
			 2003-04 9.9 52.5 
			 2004-05 9.0 54.6 
			 2005-06 ? 52.5

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All payments made under PFI are identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments was  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department had two PFI contracts during the period—the redevelopment of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington which was terminated in December 2004 and the provision of IT services. In the case of the NPL contract, the Department accounted for the unitary fee payments as:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Capital repayment  Resource 
			 2001-02 1.4 5.7 
			 2002-03 2.4 5.0 
			 2003-04 0.4 9.5 
			 2004-05 0.3 8.7 
			 2005-06 — —

Departments: Telephones Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix  (a) 0870 and  (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A number of "08" telephones services are administered by the department for public use. From central records the only information that can be provided on the Department's use of 0870 and 0845 telephone numbers is listed below. Call volumes to these numbers, especially the 0870 numbers, are relatively low and the Department does not offer alternative geographic contact numbers;
	 (a)
	0870 191 0111
	0870 191 0112
	0870 191 0113
	0870 191 0114
	0870 191 0115
	0870 191 0116
	0870 191 0117
	0870 191 0118
	0870 240 5927
	0870 240 5929
	0870 600 6080
	0870 606 1515
	 (b)
	0845 001 0030
	0845 015 0010
	0845 015 0020
	0845 015 0030
	0845 019 0001
	0845 404 0506
	0845 600 0678
	0845 600 9006
	0845 955 5105

Digital Broadcasting: Broadcasting Reception

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many television signal reception installers had signed up to the Registered Digital Installer scheme at 30 April 2007, broken down by ITV region.

Margaret Hodge: Information recorded at 30 April 2007 by the Registered Digital Installer-Licensing Body is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  ITV region  Enrolled/registered for training  Registered digital installers (RDIs)  Associate RDIs 
			 Anglia 28 0 1 
			 Border 10 0 1 
			 Central 143 13 11 
			 Grampian 3 1 0 
			 Granada 54 0 4 
			 HTV Wales 87 6 3 
			 HTV West 7 0 4 
			 London 73 1 0 
			 Meridian 34 0 3 
			 Scottish TV 4 0 0 
			 Tyne Tees 38 0 7 
			 Ulster 1 0 0 
			 West Country 20 0 1 
			 Yorkshire 331 24 10 
			 Total 833 45 46 
		
	
	The number of accredited installers is now increasing week-by-week and, as at 14 May 2007, there were 56 RDIs.
	The Associate RDI Scheme, which is mentioned in the table, has been launched by the RDI Licensing Body as a temporary measure given the need for consumers to be able to identify honest and reliable aerial installers in the interim before significant numbers of installers gain full RDI qualification. Associate RDIs have met the following criteria:
	have enrolled or given a commitment to enrol for relevant NVQ training;
	have undertaken and met the requirements of a suitable Working at Heights course;
	have a minimum of one year's relevant work experience within the aerial industry;
	provided evidence of a satisfactory Basic Criminal Records Disclosure and Public Liability insurance.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) former miners and  (b) members of families of former miners in (i) North Staffordshire, (ii) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (iii) the UK have (A) made claims, (B) received interim payments and (C) accepted final settlements in respect of compensation for (1) chronic bronchitis and emphysema or other respiratory diseases, (2) vibration white finger, (3) carpal tunnel syndrome and (4) pneumoconiosis; how much has been paid in respect of each category; and how many claims of each type in each area have yet to be settled in full.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the information requested. We can only provide figures by constituency or postcode. Figures for north Staffordshire are not available. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) covers chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
	
		
			   Newcastle-under-Lyne  Total( 1) 
			   Miners  Families  Miners  Families 
			  COPD claims 
			 Claims registered 1,108 1,678 242,369 349,347 
			 Claimants who have received an interim payment 139 232 20,137 48,420 
			 Total settlements 924 1,055 205,273 234,302 
			 Outstanding claims 184 623 37,096 115,045 
			 Total damages paid 3,441,561 6,193,312 689,263,396 1,401,895,349 
			  
			  VWF claims 
			 Claims registered 620 92 132,392 22,915 
			 Claimants who have received an interim payment 231 30 66,868 7,945 
			 Total settlements 550 85 114,692 20,,640 
			 Outstanding claims 70 7 17,700 2,275 
			 Total damages paid 3,504,951 391,379 1,159,518,929 111,361,108 
			  
			  Carpal tunnel syndrome claims 
			 Claims registered 73 2 13,353 957 
			 Claimants who have received an interim payment 38 — 9,839 582 
			 Total settlements 62 2 10,449 761 
			 Outstanding claims 11 — 2,904 196 
			 Total damages paid 661,115 3,398 176,946,980 6,939,705 
			 (1) The figures include almost 5,000 overseas claims. 
		
	
	The Department is unable to identify those COPD claims which include a pneumoconiosis element. However, under the coal workers pneumoconiosis scheme we have received 90,571 claims, 89,418 of which have been settled by payment. We are unable to provide specific data for the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, nor provide the split between miners and their families.

Iran: Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government has received from the United States Administration on UK export credit guarantees to Iran since January; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Government have received no representations from the United States Administration on this issue.

Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many UK export credit guarantees were issued by the Export Credits Guarantee Department on contracts with the National Iranian Oil Company in each of the last five years; and what the value was of each guarantee.

Ian McCartney: ECGD has provided support for contracts with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in the last five years. National Petrochemical Company (NPC) is a subsidiary of NIOC and figures in the table detail NIOC and NPC contracts supported by ECGD:
	
		
			   Number of NIOC contracts supported by ECGD  Number of NPC subsidiary contracts supported by ECGD  Total number of contracts supported, including NPC subsidiary contracts  Value of NIOC contracts supported by ECGD (£)  Value of NPC subsidiary contracts supported by ECGD (£)  Total value of contracts supported, including NPC subsidiary contracts (£) 
			 2002 0 1 1 0 23,546,882 23,546,882 
			 2003 2 9 11 545,399 62,684,231 63,229,630 
			 2004 3 2 5 62,425,531 9,307,097 71,732,628 
			 2005 0 2 2 0 109,164,215 109,164,215 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 0 0

MG Rover

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress of the Companies Act investigation into MG Rover.

Alistair Darling: The Companies Act inspection is ongoing. My Department meets regularly with the inspectors and monitors progress. The inspection will be completed as quickly as possible, consistent with a need to be thorough and fair.

Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 817W, on waste electric and electronic equipment, if he will place in the Library the results of research sponsored by his Department and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs into the levels of waste disposal due to switchover.

Malcolm Wicks: A copy of this research has been placed in the Libraries of the House, and has also been published at:
	http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/publications/2007/Digital_Disposal_Report.pdf

TRANSPORT

Cycleways

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the use of cycleways, where they exist, is planned to become compulsory under the revised edition of the Highway Code.

Stephen Ladyman: No. The advice on using cycle facilities, including cycle ways, in both the current and the proposed revised Highway Code is not a legal requirement. It does not place any compulsion on cyclists to use any kind of cycle facilities and it remains their decision whether or not they follow this advice. The distinction between legal requirements and advisory rules is made clear in the introduction to the code.

Driving: Smoking

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a ban on smoking while driving.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to bring forward legislation to ban smoking while driving.
	Road traffic legislation already places responsibility on all drivers to have proper control of their vehicles. Any motorist who fails to do so, for whatever reason, such as smoking, eating, drinking, using a hands-free mobile phone, etc. is liable to prosecution.
	Rule 126 of the current edition of the Highway Code highlights the need to concentrate and avoid distractions while driving. The proposed revised Highway Code, as laid in Parliament on 28 March 2007, proposes the addition of 'smoking' in the list of potential distractions to be avoided.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost has been of the UK Government's commitment to the Galileo project; what further commitments have been entered into since the original agreement with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The European Union (EU) and member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly fund the design and development programme for Galileo. To date the UK's subscription to the ESA element of the programme has been €142 million. This includes an additional UK commitment made in August 2006 to meet cost increases to the development phase.
	The EU's contribution to the design and development programme is made from the EC budget and is estimated by the Commission to be €790 million. The UK's contribution to the EC budget is around 17 per cent. of the total, before the UK receives any abatement.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many communication satellites are envisaged for the Galileo project; what timescale is provided for its completion; and what changes in funding and organisation have resulted from the decision of the private sector partners not to honour future funding provisions.

Stephen Ladyman: The Galileo global constellation is expected to comprise 30 satellites.
	The Commission has reported that there has been a breakdown in the public private partnership (PPP) contract negotiations. The immediate cause of the breakdown is an ongoing disagreement about industrial work-share between the partners in the bidding consortium.
	The March Transport Council gave the bidding consortium a deadline of 10 May 2007 to resolve their differences and take the necessary measures to allow the resumption of effective negotiations. At the same time the Commission was requested to prepare an analysis of the consortium's response and to develop alternative options for taking forward the Galileo project. A more detailed discussion on these issues will follow at the June Transport Council, where it is likely that Ministers will be asked to decide whether to continue with the current negotiations, or to end them and to request the Commission to explore in further detail the alternative options for proceeding with the project. Governance of the project will also be considered.
	The timetable for the programme, its funding, and its organisation are therefore subject to these decisions.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles are registered in the road tax band  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C,  (d) D,  (e) E,  (f) F and  (g) G; and how many vehicles are registered as historic.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested, as at 31 December 2006, can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Tax band  Volume 
			 Band A 350 
			 Band B 378,473 
			 Band C 3,970,719 
			 Band D 3,276,140 
			 Band E 2,508,969 
			 Band F 3,553,507 
			 Band G 129,510 
		
	
	The number of vehicles licensed in the historic tax class as at 31 December 2006 was 307,407.

Motor Vehicles: Recycling

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been fined for failing to comply with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regulation relating to vehicle disposal since the introduction of changed responsibilities and procedures in 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: Since January 2004 there has been a total of 180,034 cases for failing to notify disposal of a vehicle. 175,000 people were subsequently fined.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value is of fines collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency relating to incorrect vehicle keeper information since 1 January 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: A total of 2,829,000 has been collected in fines by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency during the period January 2004-April 2007 in relation to incorrect vehicle keeper information (The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002).

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to advise motorists of changed responsibilities if they cease to be the keeper of a vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: In January 2004, a wide-reaching publicity campaign was launched to advise motorists of new registration requirements whereby the registered keeper remains liable for licensing a vehicle until DVLA is notified of its sale or transfer. Failure to comply results in the registered keeper incurring an £80 late licensing penalty if the vehicle remains untaxed.
	The campaign was aimed specifically at informing motorists of the importance of notifying DVLA when their vehicle changed hands. It included:
	An information leaflet inserted in all V11 renewal reminders from January 2004 for 12 months
	A television advertisement was broadcast from February 2004 to June 2004
	Specific radio advertisements were broadcast from March 2004 to July 2004
	Online advertisements were featured on buying and selling pages of well known motoring websites from August 2004 to March 2005
	Advertisements were featured in specialist motoring magazines from August 2004 to March 2005
	2 public information television fillers were produced by COI and marketed to television stations from January 2004 for a minimum 12 month period
	A public relations campaign was used to highlight the messaging in the national and regional press throughout 2004.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans  (a) to introduce bi-annual MOTs and  (b) to increase the age of new cars to four years before the first MOT becomes due; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We will be consulting shortly on options for the future conduct of the MOT scheme—and specifically about the frequency of testing—following a recommendation that we do so in the Davidson Review of the implementation of EU legislation. This consultation will include a full discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of making any change to test frequency.

Tyres

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the  (a) availability,  (b) reliability and  (c) accuracy of garage forecourt equipment to inflate tyres; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport requested information in 2005 from the Petroleum Retailers Association who advised that over 50 per cent. of garage forecourts have tyre pressure inspection/inflation equipment. This equipment is checked on a regular basis under maintenance contracts. The equipment is not required under any legislative provision and there are no plans to regulate for this.

TREASURY

Computer Software: Contracts

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many software houses successfully verified their subcontractors electronically under the revised Contractors Industry Scheme by 30 April 2007.

John Healey: By the end of April, software developed by 41 software houses had been successfully used by contractors to complete subcontractor verifications electronically.

Construction: Pay

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the new Construction Industry Scheme on-line verification may be given without a validated national insurance number.

John Healey: This information is only required when a subcontractor is a sole trader who holds a national insurance number.

Departments: Contracts

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with which  (a) organisations and  (b) companies his Department's central accounting unit holds a contract; on what date each was contracted; and what the value is of each contract.

John Healey: List of contracts held by the HM Treasury central accounting unit.
	
		
			  Supplier Name  Start date 
			 Jones Yarrell and Co Limited 1 April 2002 
			 Oracle Corporation UK Limited 12 July 2002 
			 National Westminster Bank plc 20 December 2002 
			 Specialist Computer Centres plc 2 August 2006 
		
	
	The value of these contracts has not been provided on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Departments: Stationery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Information on payments made prior to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system. Total spending by HM Treasury on both branded and unbranded stationery in 2002-03 was £363,000. For details of spending since then, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr Francois) on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1022W and 1 May 2CJ07,  Official Report, column 1615W.

EDF

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings he has had with the EDF electricity company in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what meetings his Department's officials have had with EDF on  (a) the nuclear industry and  (b) the energy review in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what meetings his Department's officials have had with representatives of the nuclear industry in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether he plans to meet EDF in the next six months to discuss the Government's plans for the nuclear industry;
	(5)  what plans he has to meet representatives of the nuclear industry in the next six months.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. For details of the Government's policy in this area, I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the Government's Energy White Paper published today.

EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions on which the Economic Secretary to the Treasury has attended ECOFIN meetings; and what matters were discussed at each of those meetings.

Edward Balls: holding answer 9 May 2007
	Ministerial attendance and the outcome of each ECOFIN have been reported either by written ministerial statement, written answer or, occasionally, by letter to the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee.

Gift Aid: Cultural Heritage

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many cultural and heritage organisations received money through the Gift Aid scheme in each year since its introduction;
	(2)  what proportion of cultural and heritage organisations registered as charities in the United Kingdom made use of the Gift Aid scheme in each year since its introduction;
	(3)  what the  (a) average,  (b) maximum and  (c) minimum turnover of cultural and heritage organisations registered as charities in the United Kingdom making use of the Gift Aid scheme was in each year since its introduction.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs data do not breakdown Gift Aid claims by the type of charity and the information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Annual Reports

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the guidance provided by his Department to other departments on what they should include in their 2007 spring departmental reports.

Stephen Timms: The guidance issued for the 2007 spring departmental reports has been placed in the Library.

Income Tax: Charities

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the income of charities registered with the Gift Aid scheme of changes in the rates of income tax in the 2007 Budget.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on 18 April 2007,  Official Report, column 691W.

Official Hospitality

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1314W, on official hospitality, what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each official (i) lunch and (ii) dinner he hosted in the most recent period for which the information can be provided without disproportionate cost.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Pensions: Complaints

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints the Financial Ombudsman Service received on private and occupational pension schemes in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Balls: The Financial Ombudsman Service deal with the vast majority of the pension complaints about advice in relation to personal pensions. The following figures cover personal pensions only:
	
		
			   Cases 
			 1997-98 2,208 
			 1998-99 3,403 
			 1999-2000 3,656 
			 2000-01 3,363 
			 2001-02 5,881 
			 2002-03 7,233 
			 2003-04 5,303 
			 2004-05 4,214 
			 2005-06 4,053 
			 2006-07 3,687 
		
	
	The Pensions Ombudsman can investigate and decide complaints and disputes about the way that occupational and personal pension schemes are run. The following figures cover complaints accepted as within the Pensions Ombudsman jurisdiction.
	
		
			   Cases 
			 1997-98 729 
			 1998-99 719 
			 1999-2000 627 
			 2000-01 911 
			 2001-02 831 
			 2002-03 1,187 
			 2003-04 1,394 
			 2004-05 1,344 
			 2005-06 937 
			 2006-07 702

Pensions: Hong Kong

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the taxation and penalties incurred by those in the UK entitled to Hong Kong pensions as a result of tax refunds made by Hong Kong special administrative region; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The tax treatment of Hong Kong pensions received by UK residents is governed by the UK's normal domestic rules for relieving double taxation. Where the amount of Hong Kong tax was reduced, there was a corresponding increase in the UK tax payable.
	Where tax is paid late, the law requires the taxpayer to pay interest. Interest is not in any sense a penalty. It is designed to recompense the Exchequer on a broadly commercial basis for the loss of the use of the tax paid late. There is no discretion over whether it is charged.

Public Private Partnerships

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which international organisations which publish assessments of the state of the UK economy he has supplied with data on total Government liabilities under PPP and private finance initiative partnerships.

John Healey: All expected unitary charge payments for PFI projects (with the exception of the London Underground PPP and Scottish Executive deals) are published on the HM Treasury's website and are therefore available to any international organisation, or individual.
	http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnership_ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The Treasury does not centrally collate information relating to payments made in public private partnerships.

Redundancy Pay: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent in severance pay to special advisers since 1997.

John Healey: Any severance pay to special advisers in the Treasury is made following the terms and conditions set out in the Cabinet Office model contract for special advisers. The total cost of special advisers in Government; including the cost of severance pay, is set out in an annual written statement to the House by the Prime Minister most recently of 26 July 2006.

Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages: Internet

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total cost has been of the scheme for the online registration of births, deaths and marriages; and how much is accounted for by  (a) software,  (b) hardware,  (c) press and publicity to promote the scheme and  (d) training costs;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the scheme for the online registration of births, deaths and marriages in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the suitability of the  (a) scheme as a whole and  (b) chosen software to handle the volume of transactions required;
	(3)  what alternative schemes were considered by his Department before the adoption of the chosen scheme for the online registration of births, deaths and marriages in the UK; and what procurement process was followed for the scheme;
	(4)  what the name is of the software which is being used for the online registration of births, deaths and marriages in the UK; and whether the software was specifically designed for use in the UK;
	(5)  what representations he has received on the introduction of the on-line registration of births, deaths and marriages in the UK; and what problems have been experienced with the service;
	(6)  when he expects the national scheme for the online registration of births, deaths and marriages to be reactivated; and what funds have been set aside for that purpose.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 May 2007:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking:
	What the total cost has been of the scheme for the online registration of births deaths and marriages and how much is accounted for by (a) software (b) hardware (c) press and publicity to promote the scheme and (d) training costs. (138062)
	What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the scheme for the online registration of births deaths and marriages in the UK and what assessment he has made of the suitability of the (a) scheme as a whole and (b) chosen software to handle volume of transactions required. (138063)
	What alternative schemes were considered before the adoption of the chosen scheme for the online registration of births deaths and marriages in the UK and what procurement process was followed for the scheme. (138064)
	What the name is of the software which is being used for the online registration of births deaths and marriages in the UK and whether the software was specifically designed for use in the UK. (138065)
	What representations have been received on the introduction of the online registration of births deaths and marriages in the UK and what problems have been experienced with the service. (138067)
	When is the national scheme for the online registration of births deaths and marriages to be reactivated and what funds have been set aside for that purpose. (138068)
	The total cost of the new system (known as "RON") is just over £6m, of which some £3.5m is for the software, £2.5m is for IT infrastructure, and £60,000 for training. Compared with its predecessor, the new system does not significantly alter the experience for informants when they carry out a registration, so no costs were set aside for publicity.
	I expect the RON system to deliver considerable benefits once fully operational, both in terms of the speed with which registration data will become available centrally and the reduction in administrative effort in the General Register Office and local registration offices. There is no question of the software not being capable of handling the volume of transactions required.
	There was a full procurement process for the software conducted in accordance with the principles of good procurement laid down by the Office for Government Commerce, and subject to Gateway Review. Before a final choice was made, a range of software products was extensively reviewed, tested and evaluated.
	The software acquired as a result of the procurement is a package called VRVWeb, a system developed initially for use in the USA. The core system has been customised to ensure that its functionality meets the requirements of the registration service in England and Wales.
	Representations have been received mainly from staff in registration offices. As would be expected, those in districts where RON has not worked well have expressed disappointment and frustration at the problems experienced, whereas a number of staff where RON has performed at expected levels have commented very favourably on its qualities.
	The RON system is currently being used by some 54% of Local Authorities. No precise estimate is currently being made of when it will be available to other authorities, all of which are able to continue to register births and deaths using pre-existing systems. The need to reintroduce RON in those districts in such a way as to ensure no detriment to current users means that the exercise must be very carefully planned and could take some months. Estimates of additional cost are currently being drawn up.

Tax Allowances: Bingo

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on reducing the tax burden for bingo clubs.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Aviation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1630W, on taxation: aviation, for what reasons a formal assessment of the effects of introducing the Air Passenger Duty on small travel agents and tour operators was not carried out prior to its introduction.

John Healey: The pre-Budget report announced an increase in the rates of air passenger duty. This decision was taken in recognition of the environmental costs of air travel and also took into account economic and social factors, including the impact on airlines, travel agents and tour operators.

Taxation: Charities

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax revenue was received from cultural and heritage organisations registered as charities in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The requested information is not available.
	HMRC cannot break down tax receipts by type of charity.

Taxation: Games

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of consistency in taxation structures for gaming products since 2003.

John Healey: PBR 2005 announced the conclusion to the review of gambling taxation began in 2004. We concluded that the current taxation regimes are generally working well and that maintaining stability in the overall structure of taxation is desirable in a period of regulatory transition with the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005.
	Decisions on the taxation of gambling are made by the Chancellor at Budget time taking all relevant factors into consideration.

Taxation: Overseas Residence

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Sir Richard Cohen claims non-domicile tax treatment.

John Healey: holding answer 30 April 2007
	Sir Ronald Cohen is not an adviser to the Treasury. The taskforce reported its findings to the Government in October 2000.

Taxation: Pensioners

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners living in Copeland will be removed from paying tax due to the changes announced in the 2007 Budget.

Edward Balls: Increasing the higher personal allowance for those aged 65 or over by £1,180 above indexation in April 2008 will remove 580,000 pensioners from paying tax.
	Similar information at constituency level is not available due to small sample sizes.
	This estimate is based on the 2004-05 Survey of Personal Incomes projected in line with Budget 2007 assumptions.

Written Questions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer Questions  (a) 134095, on Sir Richard Cohen, tabled on 23 April 2007,  (b) 131114, on marginal rate of taxation, tabled on 28 March 2007 and  (c) 131115, on income tax, tabled on 28 March 2007; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury regrets the delay in answering the hon. Gentleman's questions. His question 134095 has now been answered and the other questions will be answered as soon as possible.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits Rules: Personal Income

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what process is used to determine the minimum income required for the purposes of setting benefit levels.

James Plaskitt: The Government take into account a number of factors when reviewing benefit rates each year, the most important of which is the level of inflation. For some years, income related benefits have been increased by the Rossi index, which is based on the retail prices index and reflects the costs of living increases for people living on these benefits. Other benefits are increased in line with the retail prices index.

Child Support Agency: Disclosure of Information

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times over the last two years Child Support Agency staff have revealed confidential details of clients to former partners without permission in cases where there is a background of domestic violence.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Child Support Agency: Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total running costs were of each of the offices of the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 23 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total running costs was of each of the offices of the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.
	The Agency has people employed in over 200 discreet buildings. Unfortunately, the Departments Accounting System does not allow us to provide an analysis of the total spending by each of these buildings. The information is therefore not available in the format requested. The total administrative expenditure of the Agency is disclosed each year in the Annual Report and Accounts.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: Pay

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in performance bonuses was paid to officials at the Child Support Agency in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; to whom such bonuses were paid; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 23 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in performance bonuses was paid out to officials at the Child Support Agency in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; to whom such bonus were paid; and If he will make a statement.
	The Child Support Agency is an executive Agency of the Department for Work and Pensions and operates a Performance Bonus scheme within a framework set out by the Department.
	This is an annual scheme linked to annual appraisals markings, determined as part of the Departmental Performance and Development System. Overall funding available, and the size of the individual bonuses, were determined through discussions with Treasury about the Departments pay remit, and then, through negotiations with the unions.
	All payments made in the last 12 months were for the 2005/06 performance year. Total payments for the 2005/06 performance year were £3.314m and were all made In July 2006 salaries.
	The table attached at Annex A provides the distribution of performance gradings throughout the Agency for 2005/06. All employees receiving a 'majority' rating or higher receive a performance bonus.
	In addition the Agency operates a Special Bonus scheme in line with Treasury guidance. Payments in any one-year are limited to 0.25% of the staffing budget. An Individual may be awarded a one-off bonus outside the annual reward performance and development system exercise to recognise and reward exceptional personal achievement.
	In the twelve months to January 2007 the Agency paid £554,108 in special bonuses with an average cash value of £148. The vast majority, (94%) of these payments went to Agency people directly Involved in delivering our service to clients.
	
		
			  Annex A: Number/proportion of agency people receiving performance gradings 
			   Top  Higher  Majority  Lower 
			 Number of staff 2000 4000 5000 500 
			 Proportion of staff (percentage) 19 34 44 4 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided are approximate, based upon the best available information from the departmental accounts system. All figures are rounded to the nearest 500. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole percent. 2. Only those marked majority or above are eligible for a performance bonus.

Epilepsy

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what information his Department collects on people with epilepsy;
	(2)  whether epilepsy is classified as a disability under the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Acts; and if he will make a statement;

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the impact of the Disability Discrimination Acts on access to employment for people with  (a) disabilities and  (b) epilepsy.

Anne McGuire: The Government have a number of surveys (including the Labour Force Survey, the ONS Omnibus Survey, and the General Household Survey) which include information on whether the respondent has epilepsy. They provide information on the respondent's age, sex, employment status, place of abode, interaction with the benefit system, marital status, income, participation in society and education. They also capture whether the respondent has experienced problems with accessibility, problems with participating in society, discrimination as a result of their health condition, and whether the respondent is aware of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
	A person is a disabled person for the purposes of the Act if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. A person with epilepsy will be protected by the provisions of the Act as long as their impairment meets the Act's definition. The statutory "Guidance on matters to be taken into account in determining questions relating to the definition of disability" makes clear that a disability can arise from a wide range of impairments which can include:
	"impairments with fluctuating or recurring effects such as rheumatoid arthritis, myalgic encephalitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, depression and epilepsy".
	My Department undertakes regular research on how employers are responding to their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act. This shows that organisations are responding positively to their duties under the Act and that employers have positive attitudes towards employing disabled people. For example:
	84 per cent. of employers that had employed disabled staff had made, or were planning, adjustments for disabled people. The majority making adjustments had found them easy to make.(1)
	Around two-fifths of employers reported they had made adjustments due to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Most changes were motivated by an interplay of factors, including 'doing the right thing' and business benefits, as well as the influence of the Act.(1)
	The research does not focus on specific impairments, but when asked in 2006 how easy it would be for them to employ somebody with epilepsy, 65 per cent. of employers said that it would be easy. This has increased since 2003, when only 52 per cent. said that it would be easy.(2)
	 Sources:
	(1) "Organisations' responses to the Disability Discrimination Act", DWP research report 410, 2007. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep410.pdf.
	(2) "Disability in the workplace: employers' and service providers' responses to the DDA in 2003 and preparation for 2004 changes", DWP research report 202, 2004. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2003-2004/rrep202.asp

Jobseeker's Allowance: Literacy

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those receiving jobseeker's allowance lack level 1 reading skills.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Pensioners: Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners have been living in absolute poverty in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Purnell: The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors, therefore they will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
	Information can not be provided at a lower level than Government Office Region. Therefore figures for the North East region and United Kingdom are shown in the tables as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: North East region : N umber and percentage of pensioners living in households below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 real-terms median income: After housing costs 
			   1996-97 to 1998-99  1997-98 to 1999-2000  1998-99 to 2000-01  1999-2000 to 2001-02  2000-01 to 2002-03  2001-02 to 2003-04  2002-03 to 2004-05  2003-04 to 2005-06 
			 Number (million) 0.15 0.14 0.12 0.09 0.07 0.05 0.04 0.03 
			 Percentage 33 30 26 20 14 10 8 7 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers, for the North East region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. Absolute poverty is defined as below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 real-terms median income. 3. Figures are based on OECD equalisation factors. 4. Table shows number of pensioners in millions—rounded to nearest 10 thousand.  Source:  Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: United Kingdom :  Number and percentage of pensioners living in households below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 real-terms median income: After housing costs 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Number (million) 2.9 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.8 
			 Percentage 29 25 20 14 12 10 8 8 
			  Notes: 1. Data for the United Kingdom are only available from 1998-99 onwards. 2. Absolute poverty is defined as below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 real-terms median income. 3. Figures are based on OECD equalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

Pensioners: Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have been defined as living in relative poverty in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Purnell: The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors, therefore they will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
	Information can not be provided at a lower level than Government office region. Therefore figures for the North East region and United Kingdom are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: North East region—number and percentage of pensioners living in households below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income: after housing costs 
			   Number (million)  Percentage 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 0.15 32 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 0.15 31 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 0.14 31 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 0.13 28 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.13 27 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.11 23 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.09 20 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.08 17 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers, for the North East region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. Relative poverty is defined as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income. 3. Figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 4. Table shows number of pensioners in millions—rounded to nearest 10,000.  Source: Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: United Kingdom—number and percentage of pensioners living in households below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income: after housing costs 
			   Number (million)  Percentage 
			 1998-99 2.9 29 
			 1999-2000 2.8 28 
			 2000-01 2.7 26 
			 2001-02 2.7 26 
			 2002-03 2.5 24 
			 2003-04 2.2 21 
			 2004-05 1.9 18 
			 2005-06 1.8 17 
			  Notes: 1. Data for the United Kingdom are only available from 1998-99 onwards. 2. Relative poverty is defined as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income. 3. Figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors.  Source: Family Resources Survey.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the number of people receiving inactive benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: "Inactive benefits" include income support, pension credit for males aged 60 to 64, incapacity benefit (including credits-only cases), and severe disablement allowance.
	As at November 2006, the most recent available figure, there were 3,701,710 people in receipt of inactive benefits in Great Britain.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has for simplifying the benefits system for disabled people.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1208W.